Just War?

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 7 examines the moral dilemma which war poses, the justifications offered for war, and the relevance of just war theory. The ambivalence toward support for war shown by the world’s major religions is discussed, as is the ambiguity of both parts of just war theory—the criteria for deciding to wage war (jus ad bellum) and the ways in which wars may be justly prosecuted (jus in bello). The latter includes the problematic criterion of non-combatant immunity. Conscientious objection to war, and combatants rebelling in various ways and suffering “moral injury,” are further illustrations of war as a moral dilemma. Relevant psychological theories of morality and ethics, such as the mechanisms of moral disengagement model, moral foundations theory, and relational models theory, help explain how we try to distance ourselves from responsibility for supporting the killing and cruelty of war.