Using academic disciplines available such as philosophy, literature,sociology, etc., if you are the President.

Question

.. your military advisors want your approval to bomb an enemy munitions factory. The factory however is located near a school, and if the mission is carried out, many children will die. Do you approve the mission? Please be scholarly about your answers. They must be based on the application of clear concepts, not one's personal feelings. For example, a nihilist would say do it because, in essence, nothing really matters anyway. I have a grad paper due on a similar topic, and I am just looking for some input.

Maybe to clarify a bit, I am not talking about the current president because God knows, he thinks he can do whatever he wants regardless. Also, you must assume that the children will be killed, no matter the day or time. This is pertains mainly to various schools of philosophical thought, and we must also assume that this "president" is of the Machiavellian persuasion. Thank you for the answers thus far.

Answer 1

I'm not sure your question is clear, but here goes:

An anarchist wouldn't do it because they would find no reason to listen to the advisors anyway.

A solipsist would do it because, well, the students don't really exist.

An existentialist wouldn't do it because they would feel that by destroying the other lives, they have diminished their own being.

A realist wouldn't do it. I think that their identification with the common man and real life would make them feel that pain that the destruction would bring them.

A classicalist (sp?) would do it. They would be more black and white in view and see even the enemy's children as unworthy of protection when weighed with the potential glory to your state.

I'm having a hard time coming up with the various schools of thought you want us to. Maybe you can give us a list of twenty or so and then we could contemplate them specifically.

Answer 2

IF THAT IS THE QUESTION YOUR LECTURER ASKED YOU TO DO A GRAD PAPER ON BE CAREFUL AS IT SOUNDS DISTINCTLY LIKE A TRICK QUESTION. IF I ADVISED YOU TO GO JUMP IN THE LAKE, WOULD YOU DO IT? YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED TO USE THE TOOLS OF PHILOSORHY, SOCIOLOGY ETC. TO ANSWER A MILITARY QUESTION. IF POSSIBLE HOLD THE BOMBING RAID AT NIGHT WHEN THE CHILDREN ARE NOT AT SCHOOL. IF IT IS A SITUATION OF WAR AND IT IS IMPERATIVE THE TARGET BE DESTROYED THERE IS ONLY REALLY ONE QUESTION THE PRESIDENT SHOULD ASK HIMSELF WHICH IS ....ARE WE MORALLY IN THE RIGHT IN THIS WAR. YOUR TEACHER HASN'T GIVEN YOU MUCH TO GO ON. FOR EXAMPLE IS IT A NUCLEAR MUNITIONS FACTORY AND WHAT WOULD THE FALLOUT WITH OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD BE(IF YOU WILL EXCUSE THE PUN)

Answer 3

I was just thinking that it wouldn't be all that difficult to bomb that munitions factory at night or on a weekend when there are no children in the school.

Answer 4

Well, I suppose that once somebody becomes president he feels so proud that he forgets all academic disciplines...He should not do this, but reality is different...A perfect president would care about people's lives...He would be considerate and nice, tolerable and concerned for other people's well-being...but that is only a hypothesis...

Answer 5

Linking our current president with the mastery of ANY academic discipline seems delusional to me. But, speaking generally.....the days of the "philospher -king" seems to be very much past.

In the best of all possible worlds, humanistic values would always be paramount. In the real world of greed, corruption, depravity, and psychopathy, and run by psychopaths, good luck to us all :))

Answer 6

Sorry, I have withdrawn my answer after you clarified your question.
I can't answer a question like this as it does not reflect any decision I would make in a real world scenario.