Inclusive Just War Theory: Confucian and Mohist contributions
Date
2016
Authors
Davidson, Lake Andrew, author
McLeod, Alexus, advisor
Gorin, Moti, committee member
Harris, Peter, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Warfare has permeated humanity across cultures and through time. It is a human activity that often carries with it large-scale consequences. However, even if it does not, human lives are always lost, and the effects of war are devastating. Because of this, thinkers from around the globe have given accounts regarding the ethics of war. Can war ever be justified? If so, how? What entity has the authority to declare war? What actions are permissible in a justified war? These are only a few of the questions that are often raised, and the answers to them are perhaps as numerous as their developers. This project serves to explain and examine some of these theories. I begin by describing three major positions as they have developed in the West: realism, pacifism, and Just War Theory. Using the categories and conceptions described here, I look to classical Chinese approaches to war from the Confucian and Mohist traditions. Ren xing, “human nature”, is important to Confucian thoughts on the ruler. I use this account to craft a more robust notion of Just War Theory’s “legitimate authority” condition. Jian ai, “impartial care”, is a Mohist concept that I argue informs a type of pacifism and may also play into thoughts on justification for going to war, especially in cases of humanitarian intervention. The latter part of this project applies these theories and new formulations to specific examples of warfare, hoping to show their relevance. Upon this examination, and overall, I hope to increase our understanding of the ethics of war by looking to forgotten or less popular approaches to thinking about the conducting of military affairs.