The long history of just war theory concentrates on nation states rather than individuals. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Cécile Fabre discusses how moral cosmopolitans, those who foreground individual rights, can approach questions of war.
Listen to Cécile Fabre on Cosmopolitanism and War
Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy
Not that I strongly disagree with anything she says, but what bothers me is that she strongly believes that politicians should ask philosophers for advice in regards to their decision to enter into war...I think that's very appealing in principle but in practice the last person a politician would ever consult with is a philosopher, and I think politicians (in the U.S.) would rather consult with lobbyists and religious right-wingers than philosophers. Politicians are too utilitarian, pragmatic, Machiavellian, and populist to ask any advice from someone, like the philosopher, who probably has none of those motives. Anyways, I still enjoyed this show, love it. Thank you for posting!
Posted by: Paul So | February 05, 2011 at 01:42 AM