Ethics Finder

Just War / Peace

It is universally recognized that war causes harm, which raises the question of how it could ever be morally justified. Pacifists believe that it cannot be, and Christian pacifists appeal to the words of Jesus “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;” (Matthew 5: 43-5). Subsequent Christian thinkers, however, such as Augustine and Aquinas developed the idea of justified, or ‘just war’ (bellum justum). Augustine writes: “A great deal depends on the causes for which men undertake wars, and on the authority they have for doing so: for the natural order which seeks the peace of mankind ordains that the monarch should have the power of undertaking war if he thinks it advisable”. By stages this led to just war theory which specifies seven conditions each and all of which has to be met for warfare to be justified: 1. The War must be made by a lawful authority. 2. The war must be waged for a morally just cause, e.g.. self-defence. 3. The warring state must have a rightful intention, i.e.. to pursue the just cause. 4. The war must be the only means of achieving the just end. 5. There must be a reasonable prospect of victory. 6. The goods to be achieved must be greater than the probable evil effects of war. 7. The means of war must not themselves be evil: either by causing gratuitous injuries or deaths, or by involving the intentional killing of innocent civilians. It is presumed by this view that wars are essentially defensive but modern developments have led to two scenarios not previously considered: preemptive attacks, and third party wars of humanitarian intervention. The subject continues to be one of intense debate.

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