An Ethical Response to State-Sponsored Terrorism.
Abstract
This thesis delineates the parameters of an ethical response at the national level to the use of terrorism by a de jure or de facto state. I begin by deriving a philosophically relevant definition of terrorism which focuses on the nature of such acts per se. In Chapter 2, I show how it is that different cultures can have radically dissimilar and sometimes antagonistic structures of values, some of which promote terrorism, and I argue for the notion of the moral agency of collectivities. In Chapter 3 I explore and rebut the most prominent religious and secular justifications for the use of terrorism. These discussions furnish the basis for my assertion of five normative principles in Chapter 4 which ought to govern morally acceptable responses to terrorism and for my delineation of proactive, passive and active measures which constitute an ethical response to terrorism.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 17, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA179815
Entities
People
- Thomas J. Begines