Examples Of Just War Theory

“Morality and values depend on the existence of conscious minds- and specifically on the fact that such minds can experience various forms of well-being and suffering in this universe” (Sam Harris). Morality is the divergence between right and wrong in every aspect of life. To be or not to be moral is a decision whose outcome influences civilization. However, to know the difference between the evil and the marvelous deeds of life one has to have lived through both agony and joy. The Just War Theory is a set of six principles: last resort, legitimate authority, probability of success, proportionality, self-defense, and right intention, that helps determine if a war was justified or not. They summon human beings to contemplate the nature of
the wars they begin. It questions the essence of war and its morality. It all began with the Catholic Church and their need to justify the religious conflicts and their image to be protected. They claimed that all these wars they had conducted were justified, whose objective was to shield the sanctity of the church. The set was officially codified by Thomas Aquinas and since then it has been used as a major justification for nations to go to war. Anyhow, is it always ethical and moral to go to war? Is there ever any time in a human life that the evils are so immoral that going to war is actually not immoral? There are times when evil is not only agony but a force that demonstrates the immorality human beings are capable of. When evil becomes profound immorality, it has to be halted. Occasionally, war is the only strategy that makes people return to morality and realize that they are confusing the good and the evils of the world. Subsequently, when the principles of morality are demolished by a society, war is the only solution. War brings decline, but like with a bow and arrow going back is taking and impulse and shooting for the target. The American Revolution was justified because it was a war of last resort, a war that had the right intention, and a war that was proportional.