Paper Topic:
(A) Answer the following questions: Why is it permissible to kill in war? Who may permissibly kill? Who may permissibly be killed?
Read: David Estlund “On Following Orders in an Unjust War”
You must give me a statement of your thesis and a summary of your argument prior to writing your paper. Your summary should present the main argument(s) in favor of your thesis; someone reading
your summary should be able to tell why you think your thesis is true. Bear in mind this is not a summary of what the paper is about. Please be clear and concise.
Your thesis should be a very specific claim. Here are some theses which are appropriately specific:
1. “Preventive war is justified when an attack by one’s adversary is all but certain, regardless of whether that attack is imminent.”
2. “Preventive war is wrong because the combatants who are targeted have not yet done anything to make themselves liable to be killed.”
Here are some theses which are either too vague (i.e. not making a definite claim) or too broad (combining two different claims):
3. “I will examine the morality of preventive war.” (too vague) 1

4. “Preventive war is permissible under conditions A and B; but nonetheless we should create an institution with features X and Y to regulate preventive war.” (too broad)