When
Teaching the Ethics of War Is Not Academic
:
“In the spring semester following the attacks of
September 11, 2001, and the start of President Bush’s “war on
terror,” I gave an unusual assignment to my students. I asked them
to write essays detailing exactly why they are different from
terrorists. The midshipmen were to spell out as clearly as possible
how the roles they intended to fill as future Navy and Marine Corps
officers are distinct in morally relevant ways from that of, say,
an Al Qaeda operative. They dubbed the assignment “creepy,” but
gamely agreed to do it. After they had read their efforts aloud, I
gave the project a twist. I had them exchange papers, and told them
each to write a critical response to their classmate’s paper, from
the point of view of a terrorist. Then I had them read those
responses aloud.The midshipmen found the entire exercise very disturbing because it
forced them to reflect on that thin but critical line that
separates warriors from murderers.”
[ via
dangerousmeta
]