War brings death and destruction, merciless slaughter and butchery, disease and starvation, poverty and ruin in its wake. Although war may not always be the first answer or the most beneficial, it is an inescapable evil because war has brought the world peace and prosperity while banding people together to fight for a cause. It leads to national growth and solves domestic problems between countries; Injustice and tyranny can be quelled as the aftereffect of war. On the contrary, war includes loss of human life, spreads of diseases, and induces a feeling of anxiety and dismay among communities. The brutal sacrifices that innocent people undergo may not be worth the outcome.…
The idea of war brings up many questions about life and death, suffering, and consequences. While many people may see war as something that affects people as a whole, such as nations or a persecuted group, war further impacts every individual, whether or not they are directly involved. War limits freedoms and individualism, and in most cases people find themselves with less rights than during peacetime. People base their choices not on what they feel, and more on what they have to do to survive. Soldiers and civilians alike are influenced by war in different ways, however, these tie together when the overall effects of war are examined.…
The focus of this investigation is the theory or concept of just war, and what makes a just war “Just.” This investigation will explore the question: To what extent can the Vietnam War be justified as a just war? Throughout this investigation, the philosophy of a just war will be broken down into its fundamental components. The purpose of this is to identify the extent of which…
It has never been agreed upon that life is an absolute right, but only that death is the absolute outcome. Philosophers call it a prima facie right, this right gets forfeited in actions such as aggravated murder, abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and other heinous crimes. However, the great western powers are on sure footing when it comes to this type of permitted murder, but a just war doesn’t make a total war acceptable. Williams Shakespeare’s play Henry V is loosely based upon England’s own ethical dilemmas in the early 1400’s. This is especially true when conflicting governments go into a war just because one side believes themselves to be in a just war the other may not.…
A review of chapter 2, 'The Crime of War' in Michael Walzer's book, "Just and Unjust Wars: A moral argument with historical illustrations." Allen Lane 1997.…
Conflict is inevitable, and constantly present in life. Whether it’s obvious and right in front of your face or hidden beneath a pile of lies someone will always suffer because of it. Although that being said, without it- would we truly understand the importance of peace? There are some out there who believe that some of the greatest triumphs and acts of the human spirit were during times of great conflict such as wars and repression’s. But I believe that these events have caused the most horrific demonstrations of human nature in the act of killing the innocent.…
Compared to the early 20th century, the wars of today are vastly different. The reasons for fighting, the styles of fighting, and who is fighting are all very different. However, in an age that is far removed from the past, a few things regarding war have remained the unchanged. One of the ideas that has remained unchanged in a time that is every changing, are the rules of war, as described by Michael Walzer in his book, Just and Unjust Wars. Naturally, in a time where so much has changed, there are starting to be a few objections to Walzer’s claims on the rules of war. Even though the wars of today are far different from those of the past, the moral equality of soldiers remains the same regardless if they are associated with being on an unjust…
As reader leader, I decided to do my summary on “What Is a Just War?” by Jean Bethke Elshtain. Elshtain opens by discussing the main priority of any government: providing security, thus ensuring tranquility. Elshtain makes the point that civic peace and security are the foundations for all the other human rights. For example, for someone to exercise their right of freedom of speech, that person should be able to exercise their right without fear of consequence. A flaw, as Elshtain points out, in the overall tranquility of the ‘kingdom’ is that not everyone is ruled under the same law. Even though guns are allowed in the United States, other places like Australia prohibits them, the different laws between countries can cause tensions. These…
The difference of justice and injustices is that justice is the act and notion of upholding moral righteousness and equity. Injustice is the violation and complete disregard of moral rightiousness and equity. Injustice can refer to an event or occurrences that relate to unfairness and the violation other people’s rights.…
At least once in every lifetime a human will experience unfairness. Unfortunately, this unfairness can become a trend and become an injustice. Injustice could mean violating the rights of others or going through an unfair action or treatment. In the 1830’s, Native Americans experienced social injustice and unfortunately social injustice still exists today, just with gender inequality, specifically women's rights.…
What is justice? Whether it is defined as punishing and rewarding people according to their actions or as simply being fair, many of us have rather simple definitions of the word. Justice, however, is an idea that is far more complicated than it seems at first glance. A particularly good example of the non-simplistic nature of justice is the movie The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight is an effective example of the complicated nature of justice because it uses powerful symbolic scenes to demonstrate the difficulty in finding justice, it uses characters as strong symbols for the various natures of justice and injustice, and it shows that the obviously just and unjust characters have striking similarities.…
What justifies war? Who justifies it? Why as human beings do we feel the need to fight, harm, and kill others to achieve certain goals? These questions have been pertinent to our society since the beginning of time and continue to challenge us to better understand the human psyche, and code of ethics that give Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines credence to kill in the name of the United States of America. These ethics of war lay the foundation for that code of understanding and righteousness for when it is justifiable to pull the trigger and take the life of another, or commit an act of war.…
The just war tradition is a collection of historical views and theories, which eventually developed the just war theory. The just war theory follows a criteria that distinguishes when a country is just to use military action against another country. This theory attempts to protect the innocent and preserve the basic human rights. The criteria which it follows, is meant to examine when the moral decision to use force arises from a conflict of prima facie obligations. The theory operates within a prima facie duty to use force as a last resort in defense of human life and values. When the moral tension arises between these prima facie obligations, they conflict with each other. The just war theory indicates that when the prima facie duty not to injure or kill others can be overridden by another prima facie duty, to act justly and always pursue justice.…
War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Around the World everyday there is some type of war happening. War affect everyone and thousands or even millions die because of war. The problem or issue that I’m going to talk about is why war is morally wrong and can war ever be justified. This Essay will talk about many thing including the three traditions of thought that dominate the ethics of war and peace: Realism; Pacifism; and the Just War Theory. Another thing I’m going to talk about is why war should be understood as an actual intentional and widespread armed conflict between political communities. I’m also going talk where does the church stand on the topic of war. There are lots of debates on war whether it a good thing or an awful thing on the face of the earth. So the controversy behind this topic that some people believe that you can achieve a common good by going to war. By that I mean war help out the economy, For Example in 1930’s The Great Depression was happening and World War II brought jobs that caused The Great Depression to end. The Other group of people believe that going to war is completely wrong, that you will not achieve anything and make the situation worst. For Example, pretend the rebel took out the angry dictator, the country will be unsettled with no government or Constitution. Post World War II, The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established 24 October 1945, to promote international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was created following the Second World War to prevent another such conflict. Most of the time War violate human rights, For Example in World War Two there was a Jewish Genocide. Acts of genocide violate the most fundamental and broadly accepted principles of human conduct. The World Wars, and the huge losses of life and gross abuses of human rights that took place during them, were a driving force behind the development of modern human…
Injustice comes in many ways and forms. From bullying to unfair judging of others. The Holocaust was a great example of injustice. The Jewish community did not deserve such torment for being Jewish. In World War 2 Adolph Hitler wanted to clear Germany of all Jews and turn Germany into a communist country. The injustice that was happening in Germany was spreading across Europe. Eventually other countries like Italy and Russia were under the influence of communism. This injustice was spreading across Europe .The United States found this to be unjust and had to interfere because they found this to be a threat to them. War crimes such as this are perfect examples of injustice. Another example is the racism of the 60’s. There was so much fighting towards the Black population and it was unfair. The African-American population had been seeking freedom and equal rights since slaves were freed. Dr. Martin Luther King tried to make equal rights true for all. He did such and succeeded, which led to equal rights and no more racial discrimination. There are many more ways that injustice shows up in history but these are some main examples. Even from a simple shove to a kid you do not like to something as upscale as the Holocaust, injustice should be prevented.…