Some thoughts on terrorism, moral complaint, and the self-reflexive and relational nature of morality

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Abstract

The contemporary discussion of terrorism has been dominated by deontological and consequentialist arguments. Building upon my previous work on a paradox concerning moral complaint, I try to broaden the perspectives through which we view the issues. The direction that seems to me as most promising is a self-reflexive, conditional, and, to some extent, relational emphasis. What one is permitted to do to others would depend not so much on some absolute code constraning actions or on the estimate of what would optimize overall the resulting well-being but on the precedents that the past actions of those others provided, on the relationships among the participants, on tacit or explicit offers and possible agreements among them, and on the reciprocity (or lack thereof) that ensues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)65-74
Number of pages10
JournalPhilosophia (United States)
Volume34
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2006

Keywords

  • Agreements
  • Moral complaint
  • Prisoners of war
  • Reciprocity
  • Terrorism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Philosophy

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