Hermeneutic inquiry and just war theory: Finding meaning in a post-war society
[Thesis]
Jennifer L. Phillips
Ambrosio, Francis A.
Georgetown University
2016
178
Committee members: Havrilak, Gregory C.; Patterson, Eric D.
Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-339-71742-5
D.L.S.
Liberal Studies
Georgetown University
2016
The jus post bellum tenets of Just War Theory serve as a nation's guide as the tedious task of returning to peace begins. However, one should not presume that the concepts associated with justice and order hold normative value to all human persons in societies. Time and again, programs and policies implemented by victors fail when the notions driving these activities are incommensurate with the principles, ideals and ethical presumptions regarding order and justice among the affected society. The practical reality of modern conflict and demands of jus post bellum should not allow seemingly irreconcilable differences to force actors into a state of paralysis or inaction. The principles, ideals and ethical foregrounding of individuals and societies find their locus in the historical horizon of the individual and the society. How do we achieve order and justice in a society post bellum when the yardstick for measuring order and justice appears indeterminate and variable? This thesis explores possible answers to these questions and others through a hermeneutic conception of inquiry.