The Moral Framework of War in the Voice of Combatants

Description

The recent focus on the ‘morale’ of combatants and non-combatants in war might necessitate a deeper assessment of moral motives in war from a historical perspective. From that perspective, research on commitment to war and an inquiry into motives and reasons in fighting a war needs to be accomplished by a more comprehensive reconstruction of the formation, fixation and also the disintegration of the interpretive appropriation of war. It is my intention to outline some key aspects of the interpretive appropriation of war by combatants based on ego-documents. Being what they are, individual testimonies lacking a general perspective, they nevertheless allow to reconstruct a moral world, that most of the people fighting in a given war consider as legitimate, quasi-naturally and personal binding. Of course, this moral world can be strengthened, undermined and even shattered.

Period	9 May 2019
Event title	Moralities of Warfare: Morality and Collective Action in War Theory
Event type	Conference
Location	Vienna, AustriaShow on map