"Just" War Theory

For the past 3000 years philosophers and religious leaders have struggled with the concept of when and under what conditions a war could be considered justified. Currently there are several major wars on the globe. The largest and deadliest is in Sudan.

Chronic conflict exists in  the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Aristotle, Plato, Hindu Scriptures [the Bagahvad Ghita], Chinese reflections in  the Zhou Dynasty, Cicero, Saints Ambrose, Isadore, Thomas Acquinas and Augustine all explored ethical and moral issues. But more recent philosophers have as well, including Bertrand Russel and Kenneth Boulding.

The purpose of this talk is to introduce this tradition and the major issues such writers and thinkers introduced and explored. It will not give opinions on which current conflicts may be considered 'just.' Hopefully, it will help you be able to evaluate these conflicts more effectively.