The Just War: Force and Political Responsibility - Softcover

Stanley Hauerwas; Paul Ramsey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0742522326 ISBN 13: 9780742522329

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002

Synopsis

With a new foreword by noted theologian and ethicist Stanley Hauerwas, this classic text on war and the ethics of modern statecraft written at the height of the Vietnam era in 1968 speaks to a new generation of readers. Characterized by a sophisticated yet backtobasics approach, The Just War begins with the assumption that force is a fact in political life which must either be reckoned with or succumbed to. It then grapples with modern challenges to traditional moral principles of _just conduct_ in war, the _morality of deterrence,_ and a _just war theory of statecraft._

About this title

About the Author:

Paul Ramsey, one of the leading theologians of the 20th century, was professor of religion at Princeton University. Among his many writings are Basic Christian Ethics, Nine Modern Moralists, and War and the Christian Conscience: How Shall Modern War be Conducted Justly.

Review:

The enduring merit of Paul Ramsey's work is his ability to identify fundamental politcal-moral doctorine, clarify its theological sources and meanings, and apply it analytically and critically to the murkiest and most complicated problems of political-moral practice. The Just War is a masterful collection of theoretical ethical reflections on the actual doing of politics. (Theodore R. Weber, Chandler School of Theology, Emory University)

Since its first appearance in 1968 Paul Ramsey's The Just War has established itself as a reference point in the Christian discussion of war and deterrence in the English-speaking world. Ramsey thinks with searching intensity, and demands a great deal of his readers in thoughtfulness and concentration. He rewards them with an experience of intellectual penetration which is all too rare in the discussion of contemporary problems. (Oliver O'Donovan,, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, University of Oxford)

The work is dense and wide-ranging. With this most welcome edition, the valuable lessons of Ramsey's The Just War should be extended to a new generation of students and scholars. (Religious Studies Review)

Anyone seriously concerned with the moral questions of modern warfare must confront the careful thinking of Paul Ramsey. One may not always agree but one never fails to learn―even in moments of disagreement. (J. Bryan Hehir, Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life, Harvard Kennedy School of Government)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0742522326
• ISBN 13: 9780742522329
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592