Just War in the Midst of Combat

Abstract

Chapter 4 deals with the conceptual challenge of whether the just war ethic can properly be described as retributive. The just war view of killing is defended against charges that it is conceptually incoherent, especially when it presents killing as an element in the process of reconciliation. In defense of the just war stance, this chapter examines the Augustinian notion that love can be harsh and severe as it seeks the flourishing of the object of its love. With Thomas Aquinas and Paul Ramsey coming into the conversation, just war is presented as an act of love in the last resort. Continuing to track with the Augustinian stream, this chapter offers a focused engagement with the contemporary just war ethicist Nigel Biggar and his work on the nature of evil, agent intention, and double effect as it intersects with the question of killing and enemy love.