A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

Ethics and the Use of Nuclear Weapons

Moral thinking about weapons, so about nuclear weapons as well, implies moral thinking about war. That is why the “just war” tradition is a starting-point for many considerations on nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence. “Just war” tradition has a history of centuries and has its roots in religion and theology, philosophy, knighthood tradition and (international) law. It has two main elements: ius ad bellum and ius in bello.

The ius ad bellum deals with moral conditions for starting a war. The main criteria are:

 

legitimate authority: only sovereign states are allowed to wage war;

just cause: in line with the UN Charter, only a reaction to foreign aggression and actions that are sanctioned by the Security Council are seen as a just cause;

chance of success: the consequentialist argument that a war that cannot be won should not be waged;

last resort: no other solution is still possible;

proportionality of war: the means should be in a proportionate relation to the goals of war.

 

The ius in bello deals with moral considerations that have to be respected during a war. Main criteria of the ius in bello are:

 

proportionality in war: actions during a war must be in a proportionate relation to the goals of that action and of war as such;

discrimination or non-combatant immunity: direct or indirect threat or violence against the civil population is not allowed.

 

Applying “just war” criteria to the use of nuclear weapons leads almost inevitably ...