Soldier Philosophers: The Ethics of War from Soldiers who Served

FAIN: FT-248759-16

Barry Lam
Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY 12604-0001)

A digital one-hour audio podcast on soldier-philosophers.

For the first time in a generation, people are entering academic philosophy after having served as soldiers in protracted oversees wars. These Soldier Philosophers are using their war experiences to re-evaluate the philosophy of war. Armies and navies are no longer the only combatants, and on the battlefield, the line between combatant and noncombatant seems to shift almost by the minute, requiring a change in conception of the proper targets of wartime killing. The military experiences of Solider Philosophers and their philosophical reflections build a timely bridge between advanced philosophical research in the ethics of war and public interest in the humanities. From their stories, reflections and interviews, I raise new questions about the ethics of war and relate them to daily life and public policy, culminating in an entertaining, accessible pilot episode of a digital audio miniseries aimed at the general public.