Ehtical look at war.

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War, a word that we are all familiar with, especially now while America is involved in a political

conflict with Iraq. What is war? Is it human nature to resort to war? Is war moral?

Philosophers throughout history have pondered the same questions coming up with several

conflicting answers. The very definition of war has been subject between philosophers. Cicero

defines war as "a contention by force", Hugo Grotius adds that "war is the state of contending

parities, considered such as", Thomas Hobbes notes that war is also an attitude: "By war is

meant a state of affairs, which may exist even while its operations are not continued". There is

no correct answer to rather war is morally right or wrong, but the views of several philosophers

conclude that war is necessary to live in peace.

The most enduring, and difficult philosophical questions with reference to war focuses

on the ethics of getting involved in the first place.

When evaluating war three theories have been

followed: Just war theory, Realism, Pacifism. When thinking in term of the Just War Theory

several guidelines are answered first. Within the theory it is broken down further into Justice of

resorting to war, the right conduct in the midst of battle, and justice during the final stage of war,

the termination period. Realism is mostly used by political scientists as well as scholars and

practitioners of international relations. Referring specially to war, realists beleive that it is an

intractable part of an anarchical world system, that it ought to be resorted to only if it makes

sense in terms of national self-intrest. They state that a country ought to do anything in its power

to win. Or in otherwords "anything goes". Pacifism is easily summed up as anti-warism.

When the subject of war is...