Paper Topic:
(A) Answer the following questions: Why is it permissible to kill in war? Who may permissibly kill? Who may permissibly be killed?
Read: David Estlund “On Following Orders in an Unjust War”
You must give me a statement of your thesis and a summary of your argument prior to writing your paper. Your summary should present the main argument(s) in favor of your thesis; someone reading your summary should be able to tell why you think your thesis is true. Bear in mind this is not a summary of what the paper is about. Please be clear and concise.
Your thesis should be a very specific claim. Here are some theses which are appropriately specific:
1. “Preventive war is justified when an attack by one’s adversary is all but certain, regardless of whether that attack is imminent.” ?
2. “Preventive war is wrong because the combatants who are targeted have not yet done anything to make themselves liable to be killed.” ?
Here are some theses which are either too vague (i.e. not making a definite claim) or too broad (combining two different claims):
3. “I will examine the morality of preventive war.” (too vague) 1
4. “Preventive war is permissible under conditions A and B; but nonetheless we should create an institution with features X and Y to regulate preventive war.” (too broad)