The Case for the Nonideal Morality of War

Beyond Revisionism versus Traditionalism in Just War Theory

Bibliographic Data

ID6351876
AuthorsJames Pattison (0000-0002-6938-2321, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume46
Issue2
Pages242-268
Publication date2018-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Theory (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-5917 • E-ISSN: 1552-7476
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0090591716669394
OpenAlexW2533740635
LanguageEN
Citations received14

Recent discussions in Just War Theory have been framed by a polarising debate between “traditionalist” and “revisionist” approaches. This debate has largely overlooked the importance of an applied account of Just War Theory. The main aim of this essay is to defend the importance of this applied account and, in particular, a nonideal account of the ethics of war. I argue that the applied, nonideal morality of war is vital for a plausible and comprehensive account of Just War Theory. A subsidiary aim of the essay is to show that once we appreciate the importance of the applied, nonideal account, it becomes clear that the positions proposed by revisionists and traditionalists are, in fact, much closer than often presumed

Economics · Epistemology · Just war theory · Morality · Political science · Positive economics · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Traditionalism · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Philosophy · Torture, Ethics, and Law · War, Ethics, and Justification

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access