War and Moral Dissonance

This collection of essays, inspired by the author's experience teaching ethics to Marine and Navy chaplains during the Iraq War, examines the moral and psychological dilemmas posed by war. The first section deals directly with Dr. Peter A. French's teaching experience and the specific challenges posed by teaching applied and theoretical ethics to men and women wrestling with the immediate and personal moral conflicts occasioned by the dissonance of their duties as military officers with their religious convictions. The following chapters grew out of philosophical discussions with these chaplains regarding specific ethical issues surrounding the Iraq War, including the nature of moral evil, forgiveness, mercy, retributive punishment, honor, torture, responsibility, and just war theory. This book represents a unique viewpoint on the philosophical problems of war, illuminating the devastating toll combat experiences take on both an individual's sense of identity and a society's professed moral code.

Author: Peter A. French
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 10/18/2010
Pages: 360
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.80h x 6.00w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780521169035

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2011

About the Author
French, Peter A.: - Dr Peter A. French is the Lincoln Chair in Ethics, Professor of Philosophy and the Director of the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University. He is the author of twenty books including, most recently, Ethics and College Sports (2004), The Virtues of Vengeance (2001) and Cowboy Metaphysics: Ethics and Death in Westerns (1997). He is a senior and founding editor of Midwest Studies in Philosophy and his articles have appeared in numerous philosophical and legal journals.