...for fighting in a war that is either illegal or unjust? This question is at the centre of a new debate that pits a widely held and legally embedded principle of war, that soldiers have equal rights and responsibilities regardless of whether they are on the ‘side of the just’ or not, against a set of unusual new arguments (Rodin and Shue, 2008). Most Americans see the attacks of 9/11 as an unprecedented act of terrorism. Issues related to the response to these attacks have convinced many observers that the current international law regime is an outmoded relic. In particular, they say, the tradition of a just war, which provides the moral basis for most aspects of international law concerning war, stands in need of major revision. The just war is a largely Christian philosophy that attempts to reconcile three things: • taking human life is seriously wrong • states have a duty to defend their citizens, and defend justice • protecting innocent human life and defending important moral values sometimes requires willingness to use force and violence The theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war, and conditions for how the war should be fought. Although it was extensively developed by Christian theologians, it can be used by people of every faith and none (Rodin and Shue, 2008). A utilitarian approach is “the greatest good for the greatest number.” This can be applied to the theory of “just war.” For utilitarian the end justifies the means. In other...
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...One big questions that linger in the mind of American Citizens is, was the Vietnam War worth the Cost? The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial wars in the United State of America’s history. The Vietnam War was started when South Vietnam seceded from communist North Vietnam. When North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam this resulted in a large war causing the US to get involved which was a huge mistake. The war resulted in hundreds of thousands dying. There are several reasons why we should not have gotten involved. The first of these reasons on why the Vietnam War was not worth the cost is what the cost on America was. When America entered the war mass anti-war riots broke out over the country as many people were opposed to our military...
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...well-known brands. Sony, since the end of world war two was founded by Akio Morjita and Masaru Ibuka out of the devastation from ruined Japan in 1945. Today, Sony is known for its reputation for creativity, innovation and with the ability to attract strong technical and innovative employees. Some of the key challenges for Akio Morjita and Masaru Ibuka were insurmountable to say the least. The lack of raw materials, no machinery to design or construct tools and brands, but this did not stop both of these visionary men who had a clear goal, and mission to be the best electronic brand it is today. Both of these men, took Sony to an unusual journey and strategic direction for their time. It was a custom for foreign companies to copy US or other well established brand names at the time. Both Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka with strong technical and visionary approach would have none of copying western technology. Sony is an excellent example of Japan’s determination in focusing on global brands that would be recognizable by post-war Japan and beyond of what is today. The questions for the Sony one is on page 409 of our text book (Organisational Behaviour, McShane et al), and reads something like; 1.What leadership competencies do you recognise in Ibuka and Morita? Justify your answer. 2.How were Ibuka and Morita charismatic leaders? Justify your answer. 3.Can you recognise the elements of transformational leadership? Justify your answer. So I believe the 'structure' would...
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...Approving Afghanistan The War in Afghanistan, also called the Afghan war, or Enduring Freedom started for the United States on October 7, 2001. The United States went to war because of the attacks on the twin towers on 9/11 and the fact that the leader that orchestrated these attacks, Osama Bin laden, according to Intel, was hiding out there. The goal of this war was to up root the Taliban from power and create a stable democracy, and to hunt Osama Bin Laden down for his crimes against the United States. In this paper I will be elaborating why this war was justified by these reasons; the fact that Al-Qaeda killed and expressly aims to kill U.S. citizens and, the Taliban in Afghanistan have partnered with al-Qaeda, harboring a known United States enemy named Osama Bin Laden, threating other democratic countries of their freedom including their own. The different historical interpretations of the event, and the positive and negative outcomes of this event will be elaborated on also. On Tuesday morning on September 11 2001, 19 terrorists from the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes. These terrorists intentionally crashed two of these planes in to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Another plane was purposely crashed into the pentagon and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Roughly 3000 people lost their lives that day. These attacks were a direct attack on the United States. Believed to be behind these attacks was...
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...Introduction Can a rotten egg make a good Omelet? The end/means dilemma is an old and popular scenario. The answer to this question depends on what the type of goals or ends are and what means are being used to achieve them. Moreover, Gandhi, pioneer and a theorist of satyagraha said, “I feel that our progress towards the goal will be in exact proportion to the purity of our means”. Indeed, according to the Gandhian philosophy, the means and ends are like the two sides of the same coin. They are inseparable from each other. That is why, for example, Gandhi struggled whole life against British and never adopted the wrong means. I. Do ends ethically justify their means? Most people use the expression "the ends justify the means" as an excuse...
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...The idea of war is abhorred by the overwhelming majority of people, so why is it still a part of reality today? Whether the reason is for economic or territorial gain, regime change, or religious influence, involved parties always attempt to rationalize the actions of war. How can war be justified if it results in the destruction of entire cities and the loss of innocent lives? The justification of war is one of the most provocative debates in the history of mankind. A theory that aims to clear up the circumstances where war is morally tolerated is the “Just War” theory. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the just war theory is: “The notion that the resort to armed force is justified under certain conditions; also, the notion that the...
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...perspectives. We will try and illustrate several different reasoning’s to how and why morally, one would decide to close the hatch knowing that it will cost three people their lives Jones’ Model of Moral Intensity is divided into 6 different categories that could potentially influence my ability in making a moral decision. 1) Magnitude of Consequences: The sum of the harms (benefits) done to victims (or beneficiaries) of the moral act in question. 2) Social Consensus: The degree of social agreement that a proposed act is evil or good. 3) Probability of Effect: The probability that the act in question will actually take place and the act in question will actually cause the harm or benefit predicted. 4) Temporal Immediacy: The length of time between the present and the onset of consequences of the moral act in question (shorter length of time implies greater immediacy.) 5) Proximity: The feeling of nearness (social, cultural, psychological, or physical) that the moral agent has for victims (beneficiaries) of the evil (beneficial) act in question 6) Concentration Effect: The moral act is an inverse function of the number of people affected by an act...
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...Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values,reason, mind, and language Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. In more casual speech, by extension, "philosophy" can refer to "the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group". The word "philosophy" comes from the Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which literally means "love of wisdom". The introduction of the terms "philosopher" and "philosophy" has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras. The Main Branches of Philosophy are divided as to the nature of the questions asked in each area. The integrity of these divisions cannot be rigidly maintained, for one area overlaps into the others. A. Axiology: the study of value; the investigation of its nature, criteria, and metaphysical status. More often than not, the term "value theory" is used instead of "axiology" in contemporary discussions even though the term “theory of value” is used with respect to the value or price of goods and services in economics. Axiology is usually divided into two main parts. Ethics: the study of values in human behavior or the study of moral problems: e.g., (1) the rightness and wrongness of actions, (2) the kinds of things which are good or desirable, and (3) whether actions are blameworthy or praiseworthy. Æsthetics:...
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...2/23/2014 Business Ethics Truman’s Decision Should the United States drop the atomic bomb, or should they invade Japan on foot in order to end World War II? Is it okay to kill innocent people as a means to reach a justifiable end? These were the questions that President Harry Truman was faced with near the close of World War II. More than 10’s of millions of people had already lost their lives during this war, and Japan was refusing to surrender even though it was clear to not only us, but also Japan themselves, that their defeat was inevitable. The president was under tremendous pressure to end this costly war, and a tough decision had to be made. This paper will evaluate from which ethical perspective Truman made his decision to use the atomic bomb, and why I believe it was ethically okay for him to choose the option that would cost the lives of over 200,000 Japanese civilians. The two ethical perspectives examined are utilitarianism and Kantianism. First, utilitarianisms fall under the school of ethics called consequentialism. It says that the moral status of the actions you take should be judged by the consequences of those actions. This ethical perspective can be used to answer the question proposed at the beginning of the paper, is it okay to kill innocent people as a means to reach a justifiable end? Supporters of utilitarianism would say that as long as the outcome contributes to the greater good of the greatest amount of people, then yes the act can be justified...
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...The Purpose of War and Its Effects Time and time again, Americans are told how necessary and essential war is by their government. While Americans sacrifice their lives for the United States, so are citizens of other countries. But, also individuals are telling everyone how inhumane war. The fact of the matter is war always seems to be a repeating factor in life. Whether people try to justify war or not, there are many reasons and circumstance that are ignored and hidden. War could be defined as a nation’s means for protection. Many could probably say war is a nations way of showing off, but clearly everyone has their own opinion. Protection is also a very broad way of describing a reason to go to war. Protection from what exactly is the question to ask. Protection is rarely the substantial reason as to why a nation is going to war. In many cases though, countries do need protection and can not sustain by themselves. Case and point to the previous argument would be, the Invasion of Panama. A topic, dealing with war, which is very taboo, is how the soldier is affected. Many have mentioned the topic of the soldiers’ state of mind, but who is actually listening? The government is supposed to care, but war seems to be a constant. Soldiers are supposed to be studied and evaluated, but ultimately, soldiers are not truly cared for. That fact that soldiers are sent over to a foreign land, to kill someone, should be a red flag to any official that the human psyche will...
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...The controversy surrounding drone practice for targeted killing is questionable ethically, legally, and strategically. The U.S. policy of drone warfare is directly correlated with the war on terrorism. The aftermath of 9/11 convinced the U.S. military and intelligence community to target Taliban and al-Qaeda militants by utilizing drone technology. The Authorization for Use of Military Force permits the use of all necessary and appropriate force against terrorism. The U.S government to justify drone strikes without restrictions has used this settlement as a defense mechanism. Drone technology promotes secrecy, governmental power, and a foreign policy that operates without limitations. The issue of drone technology is analyzed using the ethical...
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...The works “Preventive War and Democratic Politics”, “Democratization and the Danger of War”, “Terrorism, the Use of Force, and International Law After 11 September”, and “Failed States: Fixing a Broken World” all describe and aim to formulate the motivations for modern wars between two states. By using historical precedents, each author makes assertions about war theory, leaving the reader with a framework to analyze conflicts occurring in the world today. While each entry makes a unique assumption, the content of arguments invariably overlaps. In my response I will examine each piece and the questions I was left with after contemplating the implications of their respective theories. In “Preventive War and Democratic Politics”, Levy first distinguishes preemptive wars from preventive wars, claiming that the former involves an immediate threat to a state’s safety while the latter is determined by the presence of a non-immediate threat—often an adversary “crossing a particular threshold of military power, leading to a stop-level power shift” (Levy, 7). He goes on to discuss that since the advent of nuclear military developments, the majority of wars have been preventive. This argument is logical because as the stakes are raised, states have the responsibility to their constituents to mitigate threats; citizens are much more willing to tolerate smaller skirmishes than risk the threat of an over-militarization of another state with different social and political values, beliefs...
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...importance of the Civil War and Reconstruction in setting the stage for the great industrial growth and development in the late 19th century. The second theme is the impact of industrialization in late 19th century America--economically, politically, socially, and culturally. A third theme centered on the emergence of an aggressive America foreign policy that in general sought to export American values and ideas so as to bring order to the international scene. The fourth major theme is the rise of progressivism in the first two decades of this century. Like the unions and Populists before them, the Progressives responded to the tremendous impact of industrialization and corporate capitalism on American society, however with much more success. A fifth theme centers on the American entrance into World War I and the war's impact on American society and politics. A sixth theme is the conflict over values and power in American society. Different groups (African-Americans, KKK, nativist/anti-immigrant, socialists, women, etc) with their own unique visions of what American society should be came into conflict over whose vision should predominate. A final theme is emergence of a powerful, welfare state in the form of the New Deal which finally addressed in a large-scale and systematic effort the negative consequences inherent in capitalism and industrialization. Below are some questions that should help you prepare for the first midterm. These are not the actual questions that will appear...
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...WAR is a human Nature War: is an organized and often prolonged conflict that is carried out by states or non-state actors. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, social disruption, and economic destruction. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political communities, and therefore is defined as a form of political violence or intervention. The set of techniques used by a group to carry out war is known as warfare. An absence of war is usually called peace. Etymology: The English word war derives from the late Old English (c.1050) words wyrre and werre; the Old North French werre; the Frankish werra; and the Proto-Germanic werso. The denotation of war derives from the Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, and the German verwirren: “to confuse”, “to perplex”, and “to bring into confusion”.Another posited derivation is from the Ancient Greek barbaros, the Old Persian varhara, and the Sanskrit varvar and barbara. In German, the equivalent is Krieg; the equivalent Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian words for "war" is guerra, derived from the Germanic werra (“fight”, “tumult”).Etymologic legend has it that the Romanic peoples adopted a foreign, Germanic word for "war", to avoid using the Latin bellum, because, when sounded, it tended to merge with the...
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...The final chapter in this book discusses the war on terror. The war on terror is focused on because, according to author Joycelyn Pollock, it is the largest issue facing our country today. The chapter begins by discussing 9/11 and the counter-terrorism measures the United States took as a result of the terrorist attack. With almost 3,000 people dying, the government began taking action and stepping up homeland security through detaining people, using private prisons in foreign countries, torturing suspects and known terrorists, wiretapping, and more. There lies an issue here with whether or not these actions taken by U.S. officials were, and are, ethical by our nation’s standards, even when attempting to secure the safety of our people. Examples...
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