Military Ethics and the Situationist Critique

Journal of Military Ethics 16 (3-4):157-172 (2017)
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Abstract

Many contributors to military ethics from diverse locations and philosophical perspectives maintain that virtues are central to martial theory and practice. Yet several contemporary philosophers and psychologists have recently challenged the empirical adequacy of this perspective. Their challenge is known as the situationist critique, a version of which asserts that: situational features rather than character traits such as virtues cause and explain human behavior, and ethical theories and development programs are empirically inadequate to the extent that they incorporate virtues. In this paper, I assess the merit of this critique and consider some implications of my assessment for military practitioners and theorists.

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Nathan Cartagena
Texas A&M University

Citations of this work

Fostering Respect in the Military.Adam C. Pelser - 2022 - Journal of Military Ethics 20 (3-4):281-292.

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References found in this work

The nonexistence of character traits.Gilbert Harman - 2000 - Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 100 (2):223–226.
Virtue ethics and situationist personality psychology.Maria Merritt - 2000 - Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 3 (4):365-383.

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