GOVT 86.37 The Ethics of War and Peace

The danger of nuclear war threatens the survival of life on earth. Nothing could be more urgent now than to address the moral issues raised by the violence of war. What is war? A conflict between governments or between peoples? Is war ever permissible? Should there be moral constraints in the conduct of war? Are such constraints feasible? What is peace? The absence of war? Or true friendship between peoples? We shall be reading classic and contemporary authors about the nature of war and peace. We conclude by considering arguments for non-violence in the thought of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Can non-violent resistance prevent wars?

Instructor

Murphy

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