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Terrorism and Ethics

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By cgodfrey619
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Terrorism and Ethics
PHI208
Rebecca Wilson
January 24, 2015

Terrorism and Ethics
Since the beginning of time, humans have fought one another to establish power. More specifically, Americans have been involved in many wars over the years. Some of these wars have been about nothing more than a power trip, but more recently there has been an ongoing war against terrorism. When thinking of a war and the violence that comes along with it, it seems as though all measures should be taken to prevent such a tragic resolution. When those measures are not successful, or an attack is made on an opposing country, war is usually inevitable, especially when there is terrorism involved. The question arises: Is war on terrorism ethical and just? Using the utilitarian and deontologist theories, I will demonstrate how war on terrorism is in fact justified.
Utilitarianism is the theory that the consequences of an action determine the morality of the act; it is also focused on an outcome that appeases the majority (Mosser, 2013). For example, if my children both like pepperoni only on their pizza, and we are a family of three, it would make the most sense to order a pepperoni pizza rather than a deluxe since the pepperoni appeases both children. Since utility is based on consequences, this scenario works because while I enjoy deluxe pizza and it would please me, my children are the majority and pepperoni isn’t bad at all.
When applying this ethical theory to the topic of war on terrorism, Americans can be considered just in fighting the war because the vast majority of Americans can agree that terrorism must be stopped. The definition of terrorism in itself, which is the use of violence to intimidate or coerce, goes against morality and would only be in the best interest of the group that enacts the terror. While most people can agree that torture is not an ethical act, if it

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