Philosophy 207: Philosophies of War and Peace                Fall 2010
Time: Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm
Professor: Tony Couture, Main 417, 566-0989, or tcouture@upei.ca or tcouture@pei.sympatico.ca

This course investigates the complex issues of war and violence, peace and justice, and the history and future of war.

Are humans essentially warlike or not?  Is war a necessary part of the human condition? What are the ethics of war?

We study the problems of political realism, just war theory, and pacifism by considering what philosophers say about

these issues. What is the meaning of war for philosophy? What impact did World War II have on 20th century

philosophers and did it reshape the way that philosophy was practiced? What is the difference between philosophy

conceived as the war of ideas and a non-adversarial approach to philosophy that is essentially unstrategic and

non-warlike?

Topics will range over the long history of warfare, issues associated with initiating wars, conduct while waging war

(rules and conventions), and issues associated with ending war. We should discuss the history of war from various

philosophical points of view, the development of just and unjust war theory, violence and nonviolence,

the laws of war and the Geneva Convention, Crusades, Jihad,  terrorism, mass destruction, women and war,

issues regarding civilians, war crimes, war and its impact on the environment, robotic warfare, and the nation-state

system or the monetary system as causes of war.
    The course is centered on the explorations of ethics in war. Readings include selections from Michael Walzer’s

Just and Unjust Wars, Stuart Hampshire’s Innocence and Experience (1989),  The Warriors: Reflections on Men

in Battle (1959) by U.S. intelligence officer in World War II and philosopher, J. Glenn Gray and selections from

Reminiscences (1964), an autobiography by America’s supreme soldier, General Douglas MacArthur.

COURSE WORK
10%    1) In-class, unannounced exercises (usually students are asked to write a short, anonymous paragraph

which is later typed up by the professor and circulated to the class at the end of the course for review purposes),

or informal debates. (If we do 10, worth 1% each). Persons who miss these exercises without providing a valid

(medical or other emergency) excuse lose the marks (no substitutions).
20%    2) one short assignment on history of war (10%); short assignment #2 (10%)
30%    3) Research essay, 5-6 pages long, due last class. Must follow directions found in "Writing a Philosophical Essay" (handout, also available online, Phil. Dept. website, under "writing hints"). Assigned topics only.
40%    4) Final exam: Date set by Registrar, open textbook.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: 1) The Ethics of War , ed. By G. Reichberg, H. Syse, and E. Begby (Blackwell, 2006).