SCRIBBLE
Just War
by Divya Balain
Just War Theory provides a framework for judging what circumstances a war should be fought for it to be considered acceptable by society. Consisting of sets of conditions for resorting to war and the conditions in conflict, the theory is used to defend killing and therefore allow society to fell humane and ethical in the face of a seemingly immoral action. of many philosophers - e.g. Augustine and Aquinas - the Just War Theory perhaps provides the most realistic, best way to conduct a war. The idea that the Just War Theory is the most realistic framework for war is further supported by the fact that it recognises the need to sometimes fight to defend people against evil - e.g. in WW2 the allies fought against the Nazis. This is ensured under the ‘right intention’ clause, which Aquinas argued was “the advancement of good or the avoidance of evil”. However, Weigel argued against this idea that the Just War Theory is the best, most feasible idea, as he proposes that the modern Church took the wrong approach concerning war, and instead of stating that Augustine and early Christian scholars were wrong, they tried to justify their position with more complicated conditions. This is further supported by the arguably inconsistent view held by some Christians, ho support the principle of sanctity of life with issues such as abortion, yet argue
The Just War doctrine aims to set out conditions in which war is morally justifiable and therefore permissible. Its origin is in the 14th Century as Augustine reconciled the traditional Christian pacifist belief with the duty to defend Rome, arguing a ‘just cause’ and ‘legitimate authority’ made a war morally just. Whilst warfare is not a modern issue, the means of war and fighting has altered over time, and with this the Just War Theory has developed into a set of more secular criteria. A key strength of the Just War Theory is the framework it provides for making a war just - the conditions that it defines include war being a ‘last resort’ and the need for a high chance of success. This means that any war fought would at least have limitations to prevent irreparable destruction, meaning the Just War Theory helps provide structure and morality. Moreover, by combining the wisdom
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