Cicero, Aristotle, Plato - Just Warrior
Tory Macdonald 9.25.12 Ethics of War and Peace Essay #1
My question: Plato, Aristotle and Cicero all talked about Just War Theory, and emphasis on the Just Warrior. Obedience and loyalty ( can lead to destruction.
Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, the fathers of the Just War tradition, develop and enhance the concept of civic virtue and the necessity to uphold such morality during the most chaotic, violent and brutal of times – war. They each defend the necessity of war; yet emphasize the correct code of conduct in war and what makes an honorable and just warrior. Today, war is much less engrained in our culture; our sons are not born with the future of a warrior. However, when there is war, we hear of many unjust and dishonorable acts such as mass rape, genocide, or specifically the My Lai Massacre. Plato, Aristotle and Cicero lived through a culture of war, defending it as necessary to keeping the peace. Because it was so engrained in their culture, a normalcy, they were not as concerned with the inhumane idea that defines war- killing another human being. Today, we do not live in a culture of constant war, therefore we are more susceptible to becoming overwhelmed by the trauma of violence. Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, provide guidelines of a just warrior however, had not yet discovered what it is that can turn a good man into a bad one, and what horrible aspects of war he may fall victim to. Today, true courage means fighting against dishonor, because unfortunately, war turns the most honorable men into dishonorable ones. Plato is a philosopher who lived from 469-399 through the Peloponnesian Wars and stressed the belief that for man, there is something worse than death- an unreflective life. Plato reasoned that all people should strive to be pious, or good. He noted that piety is what the God’s hold dear, what all the Gods agree upon therefore, it is these morals that the people should uphold. In war, a soldier should not fear death
My question: Plato, Aristotle and Cicero all talked about Just War Theory, and emphasis on the Just Warrior. Obedience and loyalty ( can lead to destruction.
Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, the fathers of the Just War tradition, develop and enhance the concept of civic virtue and the necessity to uphold such morality during the most chaotic, violent and brutal of times – war. They each defend the necessity of war; yet emphasize the correct code of conduct in war and what makes an honorable and just warrior. Today, war is much less engrained in our culture; our sons are not born with the future of a warrior. However, when there is war, we hear of many unjust and dishonorable acts such as mass rape, genocide, or specifically the My Lai Massacre. Plato, Aristotle and Cicero lived through a culture of war, defending it as necessary to keeping the peace. Because it was so engrained in their culture, a normalcy, they were not as concerned with the inhumane idea that defines war- killing another human being. Today, we do not live in a culture of constant war, therefore we are more susceptible to becoming overwhelmed by the trauma of violence. Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, provide guidelines of a just warrior however, had not yet discovered what it is that can turn a good man into a bad one, and what horrible aspects of war he may fall victim to. Today, true courage means fighting against dishonor, because unfortunately, war turns the most honorable men into dishonorable ones. Plato is a philosopher who lived from 469-399 through the Peloponnesian Wars and stressed the belief that for man, there is something worse than death- an unreflective life. Plato reasoned that all people should strive to be pious, or good. He noted that piety is what the God’s hold dear, what all the Gods agree upon therefore, it is these morals that the people should uphold. In war, a soldier should not fear death
Bibliography: Reichberg, Gregory M., Henrik Syse, and Endré Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. Baker, Deane-Peter. Just Warriors, Inc. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2011. Unknown. "The My Lai Massacre." PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . [3] [4] Reichberg, Gregory M., Henrik Syse, and Endré Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. [10] Reichberg, Gregory M., Henrik Syse, and Endré Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. [16] Unknown. "The My Lai Massacre." PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . [19] Unknown. "The My Lai Massacre." PBS. PBS, 29 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. . [21] Reichberg, Gregory M., Henrik Syse, and Endré Begby, eds. The Ethics of War: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Blackwell, 2006. Print. [22] Baker, Deane-Peter. Just Warriors, Inc. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2011. [23] YmBigBen90 (User’s ID). "My Lai Massacre - Part One of Two." YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2009. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.