Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War

William Shaw, William H. Shaw

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9780415825801
• eBook ISBN:
  9781135969134
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History

This book offers a detailed utilitarian analysis of the ethical issues involved in war.

Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War addresses the two basic ethical questions posed by war: when, if ever, are we morally justified in waging war, and if recourse to arms is warranted, how are we permitted to fight the wars we wage? In addition, it deals with the challenge that realism and relativism raise for the ethical discussion of war, and with the duties of military personnel and the moral challenges they can face. In tackling these matters, the book covers a wide range of topics—from pacifism to armed humanitarian intervention, from the right of national defense to pre-emptive or preventive war, from civilian immunity to the tenets of just war theory and the moral underpinnings of the rules of war. But, what is distinctive about this book is that it provides a consistent and thorough-going utilitarian or consequentialist treatment of the fundamental normative issues that war occasions. Although it goes against the tide of recent work in the field, a utilitarian approach to the ethics of war illuminates old questions in new ways by showing how a concern for well-being and the consequences of our actions and policies shape the moral constraints to which states and other actors must adhere.

This book will be of much interest to students of the ethics of war, just war theory, moral philosophy, war and conflict studies and IR.

‘William H. Shaw’s Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War is a terrific book that will enlighten readers interested in moral problems about warfare as well as friends and foes of utilitarian moral theory.’

Stephen Nathanson, Emeritus Professor, Northeastern University, USA

‘In this important new work, Professor Shaw reflects not simply upon what states and their leaders actually consider or how they actually reason when declaring and conducting armed conflict, he offers convincing arguments regarding what they are also obliged to consider, and how they ought to reason about war and its consequences in terms of its overall impact on the welfare of their citizens and of society at large. While such utilitarian considerations traditionally infuse “just war” reasoning unsystematically, Shaw’s is the first explicitly systematic treatment by an eminent utilitarian moral philosopher of just exactly how considerations of well-being and the common good offer the most useful and advantageous analysis of war’s likely impact and permissibility. This is a significant revision and clarification of just war reasoning generally that ought to be read by every serious scholar or student of political theory, international relations, or moral philosophy.’

George Lucas, Emeritus Professor, U.S. Naval Academy

‘William Shaw provides a cogent, compelling, and comprehensive account of the ethics of war, arguing persuasively that utilitarianism provides the most satisfactory basis for answering questions both about the justification of going to war, and about the ethical limits of conduct in war. This book provides a much-needed counterpoint to the deontological approaches that dominate contemporary discussion of military ethics.’

Alastair Norcross, University of Colorado, USA

‘Shaw’s Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War masterfully develops utilitarian prescriptions about when wars should be fought and about what are the rules that commanders and lower-ranked military personnel should follow in wars. Especially impressive are Shaw’s explanations of how utilitarianism underwrites the principles of just war theory. This is a very wise book.’

Brad Hooker, University of Reading, UK

War, Conflict and Ethics

Series Editors:

Michael L. Gross

University of Haifa

and

James Pattison

University of Manchester

Founding Editor:

Daniel Rothbart

George Mason University

This new book series focuses on the morality of decisions by military and political leaders to engage in violence and the normative underpinnings of military strategy and tactics in the prosecution of war.

Civilians and Modern War

Armed conflict and the ideology of violence

Edited by Daniel Rothbart, Karina Korostelina and Mohammed Cherkaoui

Ethics, Norms and the Narratives of War

Creating and encountering the enemy other

Pamela Creed

Armed Drones and the Ethics of War

Military virtue in a post-heroic age

Christian Enemark

The Ethics of Nuclear Weapons Dissemination

Moral dilemmas of aspiration, avoidance, and prevention

Thomas E. Doyle, II

Chinese Just War Ethics

Origin, development, and dissent

Edited by Ping-cheung Lo and Sumner B. Twiss

Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War

William H. Shaw

Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War

William H. Shaw

First published 2016

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 2016 William H. Shaw

The right of William H. Shaw to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Shaw, William H., 1948- author. Title: Utilitarianism and the ethics of war / William H. Shaw.Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa Business, [2016] | Series: War, conflict and ethics | Includes bibliographical references and index.Identifiers: LCCN 2015032121|

ISBN 9780415825801 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138998964 (pbk.) |

ISBN 9780203538333 (ebook)Subjects: LCSH: War--Moral and ethical aspects. | Military ethics. | Utilitarianism.Classification: LCC U21.2. S5236 2016 | DDC 172/.42--dc23LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015032121

ISBN: 978-0-415-82580-1 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-99896-4 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-203-53833-3 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9780203538333

Typeset in Bembo

by GreenGate Publishing Services, Tonbridge, Kent

CONTENTS

• Preface
• 1 Beyond realism and relativism
• 2 Understanding utilitarianism
• 3 When is it right to fight?
• 4 Utilitarianism, pacifism, and just war theory
• 5 National defense and its limits
• 6 The rules of war
• 7 Combatants and non-combatants
• 8 Ethics and the profession of arms
• Conclusion
• References
• Index

Preface

This book addresses the two basic ethical questions posed by war: When, if ever, are we morally justified in waging war; and, if recourse to arms is warranted, how are we permitted to fight the wars we wage? It also deals with the challenge that realism and relativism raise for the ethical discussion of war and with the duties of military personnel and the moral challenges they can face. In tackling these matters, Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War covers a wide range of topics—from pacifism to armed humanitarian intervention, from the right of national defense to preemptive or preventive war, from civ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Frontmatter 1
• Frontmatter 2
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• 1 Beyond realism and relativism
• 2 Understanding utilitarianism
• 3 When is it right to fight?
• 4 Utilitarianism, pacifism, and just war theory
• 5 National defense and its limits
• 6 The rules of war
• 7 Combatants and non-combatants
• 8 Ethics and the profession of arms
• Conclusion
• References
• Index