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    The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good

    89468.pdf (865.8Kb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Ford, Shannon
    Date
    2016
    Type
    Conference Paper
    
    Metadata
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    Citation
    Ford, S. 2016. The Military's Institutional Teleology: Defending the Common Good. In: The Australian Political Studies Association, 26th Sep 2016, UNSW Sydney.
    Source Conference
    The Australian Political Studies Association
    Faculty
    Faculty of Humanities
    School
    School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89644
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    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.

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