“A classic in the field” (New York Times), this is a penetrating investigation into moral and ethical questions raised by war, drawing on examples from antiquity to the present.
Just and Unjust Wars has forever changed how we think about the ethics of conflict. In this modern classic, political philosopher Michael Walzer examines the moral issues that arise before, during, and after the wars we fight. Reaching from the Athenian attack on Melos, to the Mai Lai massacre, to the war in Afghanistan and beyond, Walzer mines historical and contemporary accounts and the testimony of participants, decision makers, and victims to explain when war is justified and what ethical limitations apply to those who wage it.
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"A passionate defense of the old principle of non-combatant immunity.... [Walzer] is both thorough and persuasive in his exploration of a very intricate subject."
— Washington Post
A magnificent book, an honor to its writer...a book that makes for a return of civilized discussion of the question of the morality of war.
— New York Review of BooksA classic in the field.
— New York TimesOne of the most significant modern restatements of just-war thinking.
— NationA clear, humane, and startingly original survey of the moral issues that complicate modern war-making.
— AtlanticBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Michael Walzer is emeritus professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. One of America’s foremost political thinkers, he served as editor of the political journal Dissent for more than three decades. He lives in Princeton, NJ.