Is Declaration of War Ever Justifiable - 1185 Words

Since the beginning of war among settled civilizations, the question of whether war is right or wrong has been somewhat ambiguous. Some say war is wrong in totality and should not be an option because there are no moral, justifiable grounds for the damage caused during war. Others say that war can be just. The idea of having a justifiable war is called the â€Å"just war theory† or â€Å"just war doctrine†. As early as 400BCE, within the Indian book â€Å"Mahabharata†, the notion of having a just war has been debated. The discussion of this idea, within the Mahabharata, laid the groundwork for future influential philosophers to expand on this topic. In this essay we will discuss what meets the standard of being considered a just cause for declaring war, how the just war theory contributes to today’s decisions made before and during a war, and examples of just and unjust causes of war. The main focus we will be addressing is the first and second, of the th ree proponents of what the Just War Doctrine. The first proponent is â€Å"Jus ad bellum† (Justice before war), the second, â€Å"Jus in bello† (Justice during war), and the third, â€Å"Jus post bellum† (Justice after war). St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine were two of them and they were Christian philosophers. In the city of god, Augustine said there was a fundamental paradox of the Western Roman Empire. It was a Christian state committed to peace. But, it was also a territorial entity beset by enemies. To Augustine, Christians can be pacifistsShow MoreRelatedThe Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima1214 Words   |  5 Pagesseveral days later ending World War Two. Although, at the same time it put the world into a new generation of war. American President Harry Truman’s controversial choice to drop the atomic bomb on Japan had ended World War 2 but consequently started the nuclear age. 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