I answer that, In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged. For it is not the business
Since there are always thieves and frauds and men who commit violent attacks on their neighbours and murderers, and since without law backed by adequate force there are usually gan
This chapter surveys the history and merits of just war theory: its account of peace and pacific intention in war; its requirements of motive and intention, and relativising of dis
Some reject the very idea of the “morality of war”.[1] Of those, some deny that morality applies at all once the guns strike up; for others, no plausible moral theory could license
Since at least the first recorded instance of human‐on‐human conflict, in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, between 14,000 and 12,000 years ago (Reader 1998: 142–3), human beings have fought with
Classical just war theory distinguishes the justice of going to war (jus ad bellum) from the justice of how war is waged (jus in bello) (see War). As the theory of jus ad bellum ev
Today, as men and women of all religions, we will go to Assisi, not to put on a show: but simply to pray, to pray for peace”. Before leaving for the city of St Francis, the Pope wi
By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire
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.