This seminar aims to examine moral dilemmas that have confronted us throughout the nuclear age as well as in the current war with terrorism. The seminar will start by exploring the basic concepts of moral thinking and the principles of the “just war tradition.” Then we explore how and to what extent the tools and concepts of “just war tradition” apply to the fundamentals of contemporary world—the nuclear age on the one hand, and the war on terrorism on the other. As such, we will examine historical cases and practices involving both nuclear weapons and terrorism: from the “decision” to drop the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the practice of nuclear deterrence, through the morality of interrogation methods, intelligence gathering, and targeted assassination as tools against terrorism.

Schedule
6:00pm-7:50pm on Tuesday (Aug 28, 2017 to Dec 15, 2017)
Location
Morse A101
Instructors