“For we are debating no trivial question, but the manner in which a man ought to live.”

- Plato, The Republic (c. 360 BC).

Author’s Note:  The following is an excerpt from the current draft of The Book.

Upon first consideration, it may seem inconceivable that we should attempt to speak of war and ethics in the same sentence.  War is violent; war is about killing and maiming; war is about destruction.  It would be quite plausible to expect, then, that when war comes, all thought of ethics naturally leave.  How can we possibly expect young men and women who are fighting for their very lives to give any consideration to whether or not their actions are ethical?  War, it would seem, breaks down the fabric of civilization’s morality and replaces it with an environment devoid of ethics.  The only rules would appear to be “win at all cost,” “do whatever is necessary to survive” and “kill or be killed.”

But we simply cannot allow the specter of war to cause us to abandon the morality that makes us human.  Even in the midst of the violence, when we are surrounded by all the killing and maiming, when we come face-to-face with the very real possibility of our own destruction, we must not forget that which constitutes the better angels of our nature.  In the face of war’s horror, we must not abandon our principles and beliefs.  To do so provides, at best, a short-term expediency that in the long-term will leave us with a lifetime of psychological pain and self-deprecation.

Ethics with regard to war, though, is not just about the morality of those who fight.  It is also about the morality that guides the decision to go to war, the moral code observed by the organizations prosecuting the war and the moral precepts applied to ending a war.  Each of these three must be addressed both individually and within a holistic view of war.

War’s violent nature and controversial social effects raise a myriad of troubling moral questions for any thoughtful person.  A comprehensive listing of such questions is nigh on impossible to produce, but some of the more important ones to consider are—

• Is war always wrong, or are there times when it can be a justified?
• Is war to always be part of the human experience, or can we do something to make it disappear?
• Is war an outcome of unchangeable human nature, or is it brought about by changeable social practice?
• Is there an ethical way in which to wage war, or can war only be hopeless, barbaric slaughter?
• What should happen when a war ends?
• When our own society decides to go to war, what are our individual rights and responsibilities?

Hopefully, The Book will provide some insight into how we might approach the dilemmas we face when we try to retain the moral high ground while considering, fighting and negotiating an end to war.