War’s Ends: Human Rights, International Order, and the Ethics of Peace

James G. Murphy, SJ

“A rigorous moral compass for war making is needed, now more than ever, because war has become anonymous. . . . This book restores the moral compass for war that a century of technological advance has taken away.”

—John Bruton, former European Union ambassador to the United States and prime minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland

“Pleasant to read, with conceptual clarity and many historical examples, James G. Murphy’s book articulates the ends or reasons for fighting wars in the modern world. In doing so, he contributes significantly to our understanding not merely of just war theory but of the nature of armed conflict in our complex time.”

—Brian Orend, author of The Morality of War

“Murphy’s approach is distinctive in offering an appreciation of the goods of peace, the significance of the political, and a reordering of the traditional criteria for just war making, giving priority to the requirement of competent authority and seeing just cause as dependent on it.”

—Patrick Riordan, SJ, Heythrop College, University of London

“In the best thinking about just war, reflection on the morality of the use of armed force is joined to consideration of the purposes of good politics, with the use of force to be in support of those purposes. War’s Ends is a thoughtful, nuanced book that should provoke reflection and debate.”

—James Turner Johnson, Distinguished Professor, Department of Religion,Rutgers University

James G. Murphy, SJ , is associate professor in the Philosophy Department at Loyola University, Chicago. Previously he taught philosophy at Milltown Institute, Dublin, Ireland. His essays have appeared in Teaching Ethics, Milltown Studies, and International Philosophical Quarterly.

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. War and Moral Theory
2. The Goods of Peace
3. Good Authority
4. Just Cause
5. Intention
6. Succeeding
7. Last Resort
8. Proportionality

Conclusion
References
Index