Question 1

Do you think that each or any of the four moral traditions Minch identifies supports just war theory as well as personal rational autonomy? Or do you think that the JWT is too weak or too strong for any of these traditions? Do any of the four moral traditions support participation in a war one judges to be immoral?

Accepted Answer

Utilitarianism seems to require more than JWT, or rather JWT is too weak for utilitarianism. A war may meet all of the criteria for a just war, and yet we would still be worse off in terms of utility than simply not fighting. Christian ethics, in its present form, seems to support just war theory rather nicely, especially given the fact that Augustine was the originator of the just war theory. However, Christianity cannot ipso facto support just war theory, since Christians of the first two to three centuries were entirely pacifist, following Jesus himself. There has always been a pacifist tradition within Christianity, going all the way back to its founder.
Deontology seems to, in one sense, be stronger than just war theory. After all, insofar as deontology is a formulation of the Golden Rule, it seems obvious that one would not want a war waged against themselves for any reason. And therefore, one ought not to wage war against anyone else. However, it may be that in some way, a state would expect, if not want, another state to wage war on it, just so long as the first state was acting immorally against the second, and the second met all the just war criteria. But this seems a big stretch.
Virtue ethics is a more difficult analysis, since there are many different virtues. Compassion is a virtue, which seems to imply that one should have compassion for one's enemy. But so is justice a virtue, and if a cause is just, it is prudent to fight for that cause. However, it may be that no war is ever just, or could ever meet the just war criteria, and virtue ethics could not support it. Perhaps JWT is too strong for virtue ethics, since it seems many different virtues could support a justification for war. Since all of these traditions require personal rational autonomy, or rather, put the responsibility for decisions and choices squarely on the shoulders of the individual making the decision, each of them denies the possibility that a person could be moral and participate in an immoral war. This is a matter of simple logic.
JOHNSON

Question 2

According to Minch, personal autonomy is an essential feature of morality.

Accepted Answer

Minch believes that personal autonomy, or the capacity to make one's own decisions and govern oneself, is crucial for morality because it underpins the ability to make moral choices and be held accountable for them.

Question 3

How does the Qur'an answer the question: Why is humanity prone to war?
A) Although we are born innocent, free of sin, we are prone to war as a result of the corrupting influences of society.
B) Peace is attainable only when human beings surrender to God and live in accord with God's will; since there are people who have not submitted to God, there is war.
C) Individual drive for power, wealth, prestige, and all other desires for self-aggrandizement lead to strife.
D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The Qur'an suggests that war arises from both the corrupting influences of society and individual desires for power and wealth, and that true peace is only attainable through submission to God's will.

Question 4

Which of the following does Johnson say is the least useful of the just war formulations?
A) Defense against wrongful attack
B) Punishment of evil
C) Annexation of land
D) Revenge

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following does Johnson say...

Question 5

Does Minch miss one important moral value - namely duty or loyalty to one's country or community?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does Minch miss one important moral value...

Question 6

In just war theory, jus ad bellum deals with the justification or proper reasons for going to war and jus in bello deals with what is just conduct in war.

Accepted Answer

Jus ad bellum refers to the set of criteria that must be met for a war to be considered just, or morally permissible, before engaging in it, such as just cause, legitimate authority, right intention, probability of success, last resort, and proportionality. Jus in bello, on the other hand, concerns the moral guidelines and laws that govern the conduct of participants during war, including principles like distinction, proportionality, and military necessity, to ensure the humane treatment of non-combatants and prisoners of war.

Question 7

Minch argues that since personal autonomy is a necessary precondition to assigning moral worth to any given action, and since military personnel lack autonomy, military personnel cannot be held accountable for their actions during wartime.

Accepted Answer

Minch's argument is a philosophical position that can be debated, but it does not universally hold that military personnel lack autonomy in a way that absolves them of accountability for their actions during wartime. Military personnel can still make choices within the constraints of their duties and can be held morally and legally accountable for those choices.

Question 8

"Supreme emergency" is a term that philosophers and scholars of war and peace give to situations where some think gross violence may be justified to protect people or values, or in circumstances where a great deal is at stake. But if one is willing to violate the same values that one is seeking to protect, is one engaged in a hypocritical and incoherent enterprise? Can violating a value (say, the prohibition against murder) to protect against (in this case) murder, be moral? Is it a matter of how many lives are at stake? How so?
One may think that such occasions as engender "supreme emergency" are incoherent and hypocritical. How can one murder in order to prevent murder? Would it then be justifiable for someone to murder you in order to prevent your murder of the murderer, ad infinitum? Ad absurdum? There is simply a logical contradiction.

Accepted Answer

The answer of "Supreme emergency" is a term that philosophers...

Question 9

Can duty to one's country or community override one's personal moral conclusions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Can duty to one's country or community...

Question 10

Pacifism is not an option for Muslims, Hashmi notes, because the use of force is sanctioned by God as a necessary response to the existence of evil in the world.

Accepted Answer

Pacifism is not an option for Muslims because the use of force is sanctioned by God as a necessary response to the existence of evil in the world.

Question 11

Many argue that the existence of nuclear weapons makes just war reasoning obsolete. Johnson disagrees. What is his argument for this decision? Do you find it convincing? Are there some respects in which just war theory may be obsolete, while in others it is not? Why would someone argue this position, which Johnson denies?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many argue that the existence of nuclear...

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT among the classic justifications for the use of force?
A) Protection of the innocent
B) Punishment of evil
C) Defense against wrongful attack
D) Preemption

Accepted Answer

Preemption is not traditionally considered a classic justification for the use of force under international law or moral philosophy. Classic justifications typically include defense against wrongful attack, protection of the innocent, and punishment of evil, all of which are grounded in the principles of self-defense, protection of others, and retributive justice, respectively. Preemptive force, which involves attacking before being attacked based on the anticipation of an imminent threat, is more controversial and not universally accepted as a legitimate justification.

Question 13

What is the primary concern of Minch's paper?
A) To analyze just war theory
B) To apply just war theory to the war in Afghanistan
C) To analyze the meaning of the term "hero"
D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the primary concern of Minch's...

Question 14

Johnson notes that there are two deep moral viewpoints on war in the Western tradition, just war theory and pacifism.

Accepted Answer

Just war theory and pacifism are indeed two deep moral viewpoints on war within the Western tradition, with just war theory providing criteria for when it is justifiable to engage in war and pacifism advocating for non-violence and opposition to war under any circumstances.

Question 15

Minch argues that if a war is immoral, soldiers should __________.
A) Disregard liberal notions of morality
B) Perform their duty anyway
C) Refuse to participate
D) Serve as noncombatants

Accepted Answer

Minch argues that if a war is deemed immoral, soldiers have a moral obligation to refuse to participate in it.

Question 16

Hashmi notes that the concept of jihad is dynamic-it is still evolving and adapting to changes in international realities.

Accepted Answer

The concept of jihad in Islamic thought has shown adaptability and evolution over time, reflecting changes in political, social, and international contexts. Scholars like Hashmi have noted this dynamism, indicating that interpretations and applications of jihad continue to evolve in response to contemporary challenges and realities.

Question 17

Do we have greater responsibilities than to our countries and communities? If so, to what or to whom?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Do we have greater responsibilities than to...

Question 18

Minch argues that to wear the uniform of the U.S. armed forces is to take up one's position as a hero in the moral community.

Accepted Answer

Minch does not argue that wearing the uniform of the U.S. armed forces automatically positions someone as a hero in the moral community; rather, discussions around military service and heroism are more nuanced and involve considerations of actions, context, and ethical implications.

Question 19

According to Johnson, just war theory sanctions the use of preemptive force.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Johnson, just war theory sanctions...

Question 20

Johnson thinks that violence can be used in moral ways to protect certain values, as long as the violence is not disproportionate to the value of the values. Summarize his position in your own words and the steps that he uses to reach his conclusion. Then evaluate his argument with reference to the following questions: Who gets to decide what values are deserving of such force and when they so deserve? How do we know when the violence has become disproportional to the values themselves?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Johnson thinks that violence can be used...

Quiz 8: Confronting

According to Minch, personal autonomy is an essential feature of morality.

How does the Qur'an answer the question: Why is humanity prone to war?

Which of the following does Johnson say is the least useful of the just war formulations?