War and Peace Flashcards
(16 cards)
Background to Just War
many Christians believe war can be justified under certain circumstances
Just War Theory is the standard method of assessing the morality of war- it’s a basic moral guide for Christians today
it attempts to clarify when it is right to fight and how war should be fought
Aristotle and Cicero believed war of self defence was just
St Ambrose of Milan and St Augustine of Hippo justified the use of war to defend the Church against those who threatened the faith. This was based on OT stories of God leading the Hebrews to victory in battle
Thomas Aquinas and Just War Theory
drew together the strands of Christian thinking on just war and listed them: the right authority, just cause and just intention. These are the key moral dimensions
Francisco Suarez and Franciso de Vitoria added three additional conditions: proportionality, last resort, and reasonable chance of success
These became the established criteria for the JWT which were formally accepted by the Roman Catholic Church in 1983
Just War Theory general
this theory limits warfare (fighting) and the effects of war so it only occurs when absolutely necessary
it is declared for just reasons and is fought in a way to minimise harm done
a war that the Catholic Church finds acceptable
-Jus ad bellum: the conditions under which the use of military force is justified
-Jus in bello: how to conduct a war in an ethical manner
-Jus pos bellum: deals with the morality of the termination phase of war
Conditions for a just war
just authority: declared by a proper authority like a government or king
just cause: the war must be started for a good reason, not greed etc
just intention: the war must be fought to establish good, or fight evil
proportionality: the amount of force used must be only enough to succeed, no more
last resort: it must be a last resort, when everything else has been tried, e.g. diplomacy
reasonable chance of success: it should be possible to win the war
first three from Aquinas, next three from Suarez and de Vitoria
Catholic Jus Ad Bellum quotes
“only a proper government can make the decision”
“trivial matters cannot justify a war and neither can selfish motives”
“the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated”
“all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be ineffective”
“there must be a reasonable chance of victory. A pointless war can never be a just war”
all from CCC
Comparative Justice
a just war condition added by American Bishops to mean that both sides are fairly considered in war
Christian beliefs about war generally
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9)
“Do not resist the evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mathew 5: 39)
“Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonably possible to avoid it” (CCC)
“We utterly deny all outward wars and strife, and fighting with outward weapons, for any end…this is our testimony to the whole world.” (Quaker Peace Testimony (pacifist))
“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” (Martin Luther King)
Romans 13 Paul teaches that states bear God’s authority to rule
Catholic beliefs about what may take place during war
The fact that war has broken out does not mean that everything becomes acceptable between the warring parties. Catechism 2312
“All citizens and government are obliged to work for the avoidance of war…governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defence once all peace efforts have failed.” Catechism 2308
Strengths of JWT
tries to protect the innocent
encourages combatants to think about the moral implications of their actions
rejects the view that there are no rules of conduct in war situations
maintains the central importance of the dignity of each human being
it places moral integrit above the pursuit of naked power
tries to prevent the excesses of warfare by rejecting the notion of retribution
the culture, traditions and laws of the defeated nation are respected, so future grievances that might lead to further conflict are avoided
it is a universal theory, but flexible in that it grows and develops with the times
Weaknesses of JWT
question of discrimination between a soldier and a non-combatant is a problem. In the later 20th century- guerrilla warfare, for example. In some countries, all adults are required to do military service for a period each year. Are they all combatants?
Arguably, the concepts of war and justice have no place together. Walter Wink believes there can bever be just reasons for war, arguing justice is brought about by equality and fairness, something which war can never achieve, so its a contradiction in terms
it is open to great abuse; people may be able to justify a war using the theory regardless of what their true motives are (Russia-Ukraine and the Orthodox Church)
JWT is limited to dealing with clashes between states rather than civil wars or insurgencies
weapons of mass destruction demand a different approach, as they break all the basic rules
Terrorists also break the rules
fails to consider modern challenges, such as the use of ai in warfare
Iraq War 2003
led by USA and UK (Bush and Blair)
- accused Iraq of having WMDs which threatened them
- no weapons were ever found
- at the same time, Saddam
Hussein was abusing human rights of Iraqi people, caught by the USA, handed over to Iraqi authorities and executed for his crimes
- Obama has decided to withdraw troops
arguably unjust, since the intentions were questionable, may have been disproportionate etc
Conduct in war: Jus in Bello
-there should be a reasonable proportion between the injustice being fought and the suffering inflicted by war
-proportionality must be exercised, with the use of weapons only being proportional to the threat
-warfare must discriminate between civilians and combatants
Types of Pacifism
absolute pacifism: the belief that it is never right to take part in war because nothing can justify killing
relative pacifism: war is wrong but there may be circumstances where it is the lesser of two evils
selective/nuclear pacifism: opposition to wars involving WMDs
active pacifism: actively engaging in political campaigns for peace
Pope John Paul II
“do not believe in violence, do not support violence. It is not the Christian way…Believe in peace and forgiveness and love”
The Church of England on nuclear war
“the use of nuclear weapons cannot be justified. Such weapons cannot be used without harming non-combatants” (Hodder and Stoughton 1982)
Peter Vardy
“To adhere to the just war conditions, a state has to maintain an almost impossibly high moral standard” (The Puzzle of Ethics)
“One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter and deciding on justice is not easy” (Just War- War Against Iraq)
