Abstract
In this paper, I wish to discover whether there is some mark or feature common to all of the warfighting cooperative virtues, playing an essential, identifiable role in the intentions presupposed by each. While the fundamental intention not to harm innocents constrains and informs external justice (jus in bello) in the moral craft of warfighting, a similar intention constrains and informs justice internal to warfighting organizations. As I shall argue, ‘equality of innocence’, understood as ‘no harm’, serves a fundamental role within the intentions of internal justice at play for cooperative warfighting teams that excel. By ‘equality of innocence’ understood as ‘no harm,’ which plays some role within any martial cooperative virtue, I mean this: no one is to be harmed unless his contributions to the warfighting team are not what they ought to be. ‘No harm’ is an implicit expectation of virtuous soldiers, and it must be a part of the implicit and explicit norms of any excellent warfighting organization as well. This equality of intention along with the formal equality within military law [for example, the US Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)] are the only forms of equality in intentions that should be operative within hierarchical warfighting units given their architectonic warfighting activity of winning their nation's wars. This ‘equality of innocence’ represented by ‘no harm’ results further in an atmosphere of trust within the warfighting unit, where guile is minimized—if not eliminated—as a requirement for excellence internal to the warfighting unit. An atmosphere of excellence for the whole can then be best realized when such trust obtains.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call