Defending Core Values – The Ethics of War and the Justification for Armed Conflict

Defending Core Values – The Ethics of War and the Justification for Armed Conflict

Some of the core values that I would risk my life and freedom to defend include justice and equality. It is fundamental that each and everyone in our society is treated with fairness and equality, which according to Aristotle, “equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally” (Schwartzberg, 2016, page number). As such, I would fight against any kind of discrimination and social injustice. Second is freedom and human rights, for example, personal autonomy and freedom of religion,  because they allow people to be able to express themselves, pursue their heart desires, and live without being oppressed. Another value I would fight for is democracy and the rule of law because it is essential that people have a say in their governance and the laws be applied fairly. I believe that all these values are needed for a peaceful society, failure to which society would be a catastrophe.

In my opinion, war is never an appropriate response because those who suffer the most are the innocent citizens of said countries, including children, and nothing can ever justify that. Nevertheless, there are some circumstances that can lead to war being the only response including one, when all strategies to resolve a conflict have failed and values like those I have mentioned above are at considerable threat. Secondly, war could be a response as a defense against an aggressing enemy. When a country is being attacked, it can respond by going to war in order to defend its own peace and protect its citizens. Thirdly, war is an appropriate response as a humanitarian intervention when there is a gross human rights violation, for instance, a genocide (Frowe, 2022). Even though war is an appropriate response sometimes, the consequences, including economic hardship, long-term social-political instability, and, as mentioned earlier, loss of lives, would never justify the aftermath. Lastly, these ideological arguments pass the test of Truthfulness of the Premises because they are universally acknowledged as fundamental to building a healthy, functional society.

References

Frowe, H. (2022). The ethics of war and peace: an introduction. Routledge.

Schwartzberg, M. (2016). Aristotle and the judgment of the many: Equality, not collective quality. The Journal of Politics, 78(3), 733-745.

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Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, address the following:

What core values would you risk your life and freedom to defend?
Could a nation going to war be appropriate in certain circumstances – or is war never an appropriate response?
This is not a group exercise – post your thoughts, considering the scenarios proposed in the text or any others you find important. Be sure to give your reasons for your answer.

Defending Core Values – The Ethics of War and the Justification for Armed Conflict

Notice that this exercise requires deductive reasoning. You are stating a position and supporting it with “top down” reasoning. Be sure to review the Three Features of Ideological Reasoning. Apply these concepts as you create your own arguments and evaluate those of your peers.

Remember that you are using ideological reasoning here. Is your post structured like an ideological argument, beginning with a general idea (opinion, belief, or principle) and moving down from these abstractions to their specific applications?

The text warns us that ideological arguments often fail the test of Truthfulness of the Premises. Have you tested the truth of your premises?