The Ethics of Violence and War-PLSC 277D MW: 3:30-4:20/ Soc Psy 126

Alexander Kirshner

Office: 204k Gross Hall

Office Hours: Weds—4:30-520 or by appointment.

TAs:

Sam Bagg ()

Michael Hawley ()

The philosopher (and singer) Edwin Starr once asked: “War. What is it good for?”

In this class, we will grapple with Starr’s question and examine some of most interesting efforts to answer it. Undertaking that work, we will consider a number of other questions:

  • Do the same rules that apply to us in everyday life apply during military conflicts?
  • If war is a morally special domain, what rules, if any, do apply?
  • Why is it ok to kill other soldiers but not civilians who support those soldiers?
  • If it is ok to kill enemy soldiers, what is so problematic about dropping a nuclear bombon those soldiers’ country?
  • Why is it acceptable to kill people, but not torture them?

These are a few of the questions we will address in this course. To think them through, we will read and discuss challenging works of contemporary political philosophy.Students will acquire the tools necessary to evaluate and argue about some of the most important and vexing questions faced by political leaders, military officials and, of course,citizens, like you.*

Not a bad way to spend your time, if you ask me.

*In preparing this syllabus, I referred to a syllabus put together by David Mapel.

REQUIREMENTS

  • One midterm exam. The exam will be on October 8.
  • One paper (5-7 pages) and one outline. Thesis and outlines are due by 5pm on November 9. The paper is due at 5.pm on November 19. We will provide a list of suggested topics by November 1. Please send your TAs your assignments via email.
  • The reading for this course is light. But that’s because we actually expect you to do it.
  • Active and informed participation in the class and sections is an essential element of the course. Informed participation requires that you read the relevant works before class and certainly before your section.
  • On time arrival to class and section is expected. Also, please turn your phones off when you are in class.
  • A final exam.

GRADING

  • The midterm is worth 25 percent of your final grade.
  • The paper is worth 30 percent of your final grade.
  • If your paper or outline is handed in late, your grade on the paper will be reduced by a whole grade (from an A to a B, for example). For each additional 24 hours the assignment is late, your grade will be reduced by another whole grade.
  • Participation in your discussion sections is worth 10 percent of the course grade. More than one unexcused absence from a section will automatically reduce your section grade by a whole grade (from an A- to B-, for example).
  • The final exam is worth 35 percent of your course grade.
  • Don’t plagiarize or cheat. I will refer all instances of plagiarism and cheating to Duke’s Office of Student Conduct. You will, at a minimum, get no credit for the assignment in question. All Duke policies apply.

COURSE TEXTS

  • All readings (except from the course books) are linked to this syllabus or will be available on Sakai
  • Required course books are available at the Duke University Bookstore. Please purchase the correct edition if you choose to purchase the books elsewhere.
  • Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Fourth Edition
  • Jeff McMahan, Killing in War

CLASS SCHEDULE

Class 1: Introduction. Why are we here? What are you going to learn in this class?—Aug. 25

  • Tim O’Brien, How to Tell a True Story about a War

Class 2: Realism—Aug 27

  • Plato’s dialogue with Thrasymachus
  • Melian Dialogue

Class 3: Critiques of Realism and Natural Law—Sept 1

  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 1-2
  • Vitoria, Selection—p. 293-316

Class 4: States’ Rights and the Traditional View—Sept 3

  • Rousseau, Selection
  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 3-4

Class 5: Traditional View Outlined—Sept 8

  • Filkins, The Forever War—p. 186-195, 203-204
  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 8-9

Class 6: Traditional View Outlined—Sept 10

  • Walzer and Margalit, Israel: Civilians & Combatants
  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapter 10

Class 7: Introduction to the Revisionist View—Self-Defense—Sept 15

  • Thomson,“Self-Defense”
  • Jeff McMahan, Killing in War, Chapter 1

Class 8: Screening: Fog of War—Sept 17

Class 9: Implications of the Revisionist View—Sept 22

  • Jeff McMahan, Killing in War, Chapter 2

Class 10: Screening: Fog of War—Sept 24

Class 11: Implications of the Revisionist View—Sept 29

  • Jeff McMahan, Killing in War, Chapter 5

Class 12: Preventive War—Oct 1

  • US National Security Policy 2002, pp. 13-16
  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapter 5
  • McMahan, Preventive War and the Killing of the Innocent

Class 13:Intervention—Oct 6

  • Frum, Why U.S. must intervene in Libya
  • Mill, A Few Words on Non-Intervention,
  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, pp. 86-91

Class 14:Midterm—October 8

Class 15:Humanitarian Intervention —October 15

  • Power, A Problem from Hell, Chapter 9
  • Luban, Just War and Human Rights
  • Kok-Chor Tan, The Duty to Protect

Class 16:Iraq—October 20

  • Bush Declares Start of Iraq War; Missile Said to Be Aimed at Hussein
  • Teson—Ending Tyranny in Iraq
  • McMahan, Iraq War

Class 17: Justice in War—Guerrillas and Terrorism—October 22

  • Class 17: Yoo, Terrorists have No Geneva Rights
  • Walzer Chapters 11, 13, 15

Class 18: Screening: The Battle of Algiers - October 27

Class 19: Guest Lecture—NOON—Daniel Philpott—Notre Dame University—October 29

Class 20: Screening: The Battle of Algiers—November 3

Class 21: Justice in War—Guerrillas and Terrorism—November 5

  • Bonner, Tamil Guerrillas in Sri Lanka: Deadly and Armed to the Teeth
  • Walzer, Terrorism and Just War
  • McMahan, War, Terrorism, and the “War on Terror”

Class 22: Justice in War—Torture—November 10

  • Dershowitz, Tortured Reasoning
  • Luban, ‘Liberalism and the unpleasant question of torture’,

Class 23: The Difference Law Makes—November 12

  • Reisman and Antoniu, Introduction, The Laws of War
  • Posner, Do States Have a Moral Obligation to Obey International Law
  • Buchanan, Institutionalizing the Just War

Class 24: Justice in War—Nuclear War—November 17

  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapters 16-17
  • Kavka, Nuclear Deterrence Some Moral Perplexities
  • Optional: The letter of last resort:

Class 25: Justice in War—Cyber War—November 19

  • Landler and Markoff, Digital Fears Emerge After Data Siege in Estonia
  • Dipert, The Ethics of Cyberwarfare
  • Lin, Is It Possible to Wage a Just Cyberwar?
  • Optional: Bamford, The Secret War

Class 26: Post War Justice—November 24

  • Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, Chapter 7
  • Bass, Jus Post Bellum

Class 27:--IN CLASS DEBATES--Are you responsible?/Should you obey an unjust order?—December 1

  • Readings TBD

Class 28: Last Class—December 3

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