Why Moral Theorizing Needs Real Cases

The Redirection of V‐Weapons during the Second World War

Bibliographic Data

ID12274365
AuthorsSusanne Burri (0000-0001-6200-0717, Philosophy London School of Economics and Political Science, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume28
Issue2
Pages247-269
Publication date2019-08-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Political Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0963-8016 • E-ISSN: 1467-9760
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jopp.12200
OpenAlexW2971295419
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited18

In 1944, the German Wehrmacht started terror bombing London with guided missiles called V-weapons.With the help of double agents that the British authorities had recruited among German spies, it would have been possible to deceive the enemy into redirecting his weapons away from Central London.This would likely have greatly reduced civilian casualties in Central London, while leading to a comparably smaller increase of civilian deaths in some areas of South London.While the British deception authorities were in favour of redirection, the War Cabinet's Ministers were opposed.In this paper, I investigate whether the Ministers had moral reason for their qualms.I argue that they did, as redirecting the V-weapons meant showing unequal concern for the safety of different parts of the population.I suggest that all things considered, redirecting the weapons could nevertheless have formed part of a morally optimal response to the German attack.My discussion draws on insights from the moral philosophical literature that makes extensive use of hypothetical cases.Critics of this literature worry that its method renders its insights practically irrelevant.My paper suggests that this worry is exaggerated, but not without merit.The historical case that I discuss is not easily resolved using ideas from the case-based literature, but such ideas still help illuminate the decision the British authorities faced

Citation · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Free Will and Agency · Law · Torture, Ethics, and Law · War, Ethics, and Justification

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