A Just War Theory: World War II
St. Augustine, (d.430) a first century theologian and philosopher, articulated the 'Just War Theory' initially to justify a Christian war, one perceived to defend and maintain peace and order. Opponents, typically pacifists, believe there is never a just means for war under any circumstance either on moral or religious grounds. While war at one level appears antithetical to Judeo Christian thought that man shall not kill, man also has a duty to preserve life and possesses the right to self defense which may involve the taking of other lives to preserve one's own and those of one's society and culture. With the intention of self preservation citizens and their governments must do all they can to avoid war but lawful self-defense must always be an option to wage war under moral parameters or The Just War Theory. American intervention in World War II was justified for many moral, emotional and practical reasons but can also be justified under Augustine's Just War Theory, which states many concepts we consider basic. The Just War Theory can be summarized by the following six elements (Saunders):
History also shows that "proportionality" or the good outweighing the bad and "probability of success" were also clearly in our favor or intellectually unavoidable. Even before their actual intervention into the war, the United States provided critical support to the British and Soviet forces. The preservation of our way of life and that of the civilized world hung in the balance. The decision to wage war is always based on values which by example justified our entry into World War II as we were not only attacked at Pearl Harbor but we as a country and as an act of self defense found it necessary to participate in ridding the world of Nazism and Fascism about to be imposed on the world by Germany, Japan and Italy. There were charred bodies everywhere. FDR, trying desperately to avoid going to war, tried a long with our allies to appease Nazi Germany avail. " (CP 92) The preservations of human rights, especially that of the Jews, was preserved through the war efforts. offer guidance but it seems the basic moral, philosophical and religious issues enunciated by Augustine don't change and at least provide an analytical structure to deal with decisions of war. President Roosevelt announced in his address of the 'Four Freedoms' that we along with our allies need to free Europe from tyrannical rule. " (CP 91) In order to protect the free will and end the evil menace of the Axis Powers, wizardly necessary and proportional. The emotional and physical scars have become the looking glass which survivors and their children view the world. Augustine's third principle, right intention, requires that the intentions behind a just war should bring about a greater good. The Japanese sent 350 B-17 bombers with the intention of destroying as many American ships as possible, killing and wounding 3000 American Marines. claration of Independence states, "All human beings are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Most can easily concur that America's entry and vigorous prosecution of World War II was not only justified but also mandated.
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