Get Best Essay Help Online-Philosophy Seminar on Just War Theory
Take Home Final Exam Spring 2018
Philosophy Seminar on Just War Theory
There will be no formal in-class exam. Instead you will write a paper that answers the questions in the prompt below.
Due Friday 4/27/18 at noon. Papers may be turned in before that time as well. You may place them in the slots on my office door, submit them to the division secretary, or place them in my mailbox in the mail room.
Here is the prompt: Write a 7-10 page paper that answers the following questions. Your answer to each question should quote and then explain specific passages from the text that justify what you claim it says. That means you should avoid making general, unsubstantiated remarks. Your comments need to lead back to specific passages and you need to show their relation to what Walzer (or Plato) actually says. Make sure you quote and explain specific passages that bear on the question you are trying to answer. If your answer to each of these questions is less than two pages, you need to ask yourself if you have really answered the question properly. Your answers will be evaluated on the degree to which they demonstrate a careful reading of the text by quoting and explaining what it actually says. You should cite every source you consult, but given the emphasis I am placing on providing direct evidence, secondary sources of any kind are unlikely to help you very much. The key to success is to find and explain the relevant passages in these texts that answer the questions below.
- What does Walzer say is the foundation of Ethics and Just War Theory, and What is the foundation of what he calls political “Realism”? How does Walzer’s defense of the ethical point of view and his critique of realism relate to Plato’s portrait of ethical skepticism in book I of the Republic? Explain the connection.
- According to Walzer, what is the Doctrine of Double effect, and how does it come into play in war? What is its significance for Gurerilla Warfare and Terrorism?
- How does the Doctrine of Double effect bear on the theory of nuclear deterrence, and the possibility of limited nuclear war?
- How does one draw the line between leaders, civilians and government officials when a state engages in the crime of aggression? What is Walzer’s argument for how we determine collective responsibility in such circumstances?
- What defence does Walzer discuss for those who violate the war convention? Can their acts be justified? What does he say about the My Lai massacre? What defense was used there?
Bonus questions:
- Read the Paul Fussel article “Thank God for the Atomic Bomb” and Walzer’s response in a review in The New Republic at the following link. You may have to copy it into your browser to get it to open.
http://viewingamerica.shanti.virginia.edu/sites/shanti.virginia.edu.viewingamerica/files/Fussell.Thank%20God%20for%20the%20Atom%20Bomb.pdf
Being careful to base your argument on texts and discussions we have had this semester, who makes a better argument and who do you think is correct? (Note: I am not just asking for your opinion here. I am asking you to justify your opinion).
- What have you learned about Ethics this semester?
