Like many others, I’m somewhat ecstatic that the Navy Seals killed Bin Laden. However, thinking about events over the years since 9/11 and the wide range of celebrations and comments on his death I have to wonder if, in the end, he actually achieved his twisted goals. Our nation seems more divided than ever between [...]
Lots of missing information here, but the initial numbers should raise some interesting questions or research ideas… Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941: Japan Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor 2,388 US Personnel Killed 1,178 US Personnel Wounded 21 US Ships Sunk, Beached, or Damaged 323 US Aircraft Destroyed or Damaged Dresden, February 14-15, 1945: Allied [...]
More thoughts while reading on the fourth edition of Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars. What is the foundation of military professionalism? Walzer says that “some sense of military honor is still the creed of the professional soldier.” It would be informative to know what contemporary soldiers understand as “honor” within their activities. To paraphrase [...]
Hollywood: Valkyrie “Hero” is not an adjective often used to describe anyone who is formally a Nazi. After all, who familiar with the horrors perpetuated during WWII by Nazi officials would label them heroic? Highlighting these horrors are genocide (attempting to eliminate various peoples to include anyone with “non-Aryan” blood), perverting professional institutions such [...]
More quotes and thoughts from the fourth edition of Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars. Walzer says It is true, however, that we often lack the courage of our judgments. Following James Rest’s work in moral psychology, the psychological aspects of moral action generally follow the sequence: (1) recognition of a moral event, (2) evaluation [...]
One of my teachers at Oklahoma State University always had great handouts for his classes. Often the handouts would consist of 1-5 pages of quotes detailing someone’s position, elucidating an issue, or just interesting to think upon. Based on my experience in his courses I often try to keep track of quotes. My books are [...]
Looking for a foundation of readings for military ethics? I’m currently re-reading some interesting works which should be considered for a foundation of any course on military ethics. Michael Walzer is a popular author and political ethicist who is often discussed when teaching Just War Theory. I first encountered his name in a Violence, Non-Violence, [...]