Spying Through a Glass Darkly: The Ethics of Espionage and Counter-Intelligence, by Cécile Fabre

Abstract

This excellent book shines a bright light on the dark arts. Though philosophers have had much to say about the ethics of overt foreign policy, surprisingly little work considers the under-the-table methods of spying and subterfuge that underpin those policies. Cécile Fabre’s rich and stimulating book opens up this novel terrain and is sure to be the leading work on this topic for some time. One of the book’s central virtues is Fabre’s ability to connect specific issues in the ethics of espionage to more general topics in moral and political philosophy, and to show how reflection on the former can shed new light on the latter. So even if you may not be interested in the secret service, the secret service may be interested in you. The book is also marked by Fabre’s characteristic blend of rigorous philosophical argument and engagement with empirical and historical sources (not to mention spy novels, films, and TV shows). Fabre clearly enjoyed researching the book and the reader is rewarded with a philosophical investigation more readable than the usual fare. I highly recommend it.