Pacifism

Holmes makes the case that pacifism is philosophically sound. His starting point is a moral presumption against going to war: until that presumption is overturned, any war lacks justification. He tests whether just war theory can overcome it, and he also examines the reasons offered for conflicts such as Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His conclusion is that none of these defenses succeeds, so war in the modern world cannot be morally justified.

The book is written for students and scholars who want a guide through the central debates in the ethics of war. Holmes covers just war theory and the doctrine of double effect, among other topics. He treats the complexity of these arguments and the historical examples with care, presenting them clearly without flattening their difficulty.