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Inclusive Just War Theory: Confucian and Mohist contributions

dc.contributor.authorDavidson, Lake Andrew, author
dc.contributor.authorMcLeod, Alexus, advisor
dc.contributor.authorGorin, Moti, committee member
dc.contributor.authorHarris, Peter, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2016-07-13T14:50:20Z
dc.date.available2016-07-13T14:50:20Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractWarfare 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.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/173496
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.titleInclusive Just War Theory: Confucian and Mohist contributions
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplinePhilosophy
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (M.A.)

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