The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good
This paper examines the teleology of the military as a social institution. That is, the institutional purpose or ends for which it exists. First, I consider differing views for the institutional teleology of the military as a state-sanctioned social institution. I demonstrate that the modern militar...
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| Format: | Conference Paper |
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2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89644 |
| _version_ | 1848765264431153152 |
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| author | Ford, Shannon |
| author_facet | Ford, Shannon |
| author_sort | Ford, Shannon |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper examines the teleology of the military as a social institution. That is, the institutional purpose or ends for which it exists. First, I consider differing views for the institutional teleology of the military as a state-sanctioned social institution. I demonstrate that the modern military is more than an instrument for doing harm or fighting wars. I also examine the conventional approach that says teleology of the military is to carry out the State’s responsibility for defending the “life” of a political community from external threats. Then I examine cosmopolitan criticisms of this view, which argue that the moral purpose of the military should be to preserve a just peace and protect human rights. I conclude that the morally responsible State uses its military to defend the common good. In particular, I argue that a state’s military should defend the common good of the political community it serves, which includes, but is not limited to, fighting wars against external aggression. I also argue, however, that a state has important moral responsibilities to the common good outside the interests of its own narrowly defined political community. Importantly, it has a moral obligation, albeit weakened, to use military force to protect the lives of outsiders. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:32:29Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-89644 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:32:29Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-896442022-11-21T03:36:33Z The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good Ford, Shannon 4408 - Political science 5001 - Applied ethics This paper examines the teleology of the military as a social institution. That is, the institutional purpose or ends for which it exists. First, I consider differing views for the institutional teleology of the military as a state-sanctioned social institution. I demonstrate that the modern military is more than an instrument for doing harm or fighting wars. I also examine the conventional approach that says teleology of the military is to carry out the State’s responsibility for defending the “life” of a political community from external threats. Then I examine cosmopolitan criticisms of this view, which argue that the moral purpose of the military should be to preserve a just peace and protect human rights. I conclude that the morally responsible State uses its military to defend the common good. In particular, I argue that a state’s military should defend the common good of the political community it serves, which includes, but is not limited to, fighting wars against external aggression. I also argue, however, that a state has important moral responsibilities to the common good outside the interests of its own narrowly defined political community. Importantly, it has a moral obligation, albeit weakened, to use military force to protect the lives of outsiders. 2016 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89644 fulltext |
| spellingShingle | 4408 - Political science 5001 - Applied ethics Ford, Shannon The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good |
| title | The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good |
| title_full | The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good |
| title_fullStr | The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good |
| title_short | The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good |
| title_sort | military's institutional teleology: defending the common good |
| topic | 4408 - Political science 5001 - Applied ethics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89644 |