Just war theory is often forgotten in the practicalities of fighting a war, but it is crucial for helping soldiers understand themselves and their actions within the larger context of battle. A proper understanding of the morality of killing is necessary for the soldier to come to terms with the violent nature of his task.
Yet there is disagreement among Just War thinkers about the appropriate way to understand justified killing. The dominant position in modern Just War theory is the “presumption against killing,” introduced by James Childress. Childress holds that there is a standing moral duty not to kill, and that at times, the duty not to kill conflicts with a similar duty to justice. The evaluation of justice in war, for Childress, comes down to whether a person’s duty towards justice overrides their standing duty not to kill. If it does, then killing becomes morally permissible as long as it is in pursuit of justice.
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