Terrorism: The Philosophical Issues [Paperback]

'We are fighting it, so we may as well understand what it is!...Anyone remotely interested in the post- 9/11 world will find something worthwhile in this thought-provoking volume.' - TheThirdWay.org

'Terrorism: The Philosophical Issues offers insight into many of the important philosophical issues surrounding terrorism. The author draws on a number of disciplines including sociology, psychology, and history to help clarify matters of terrorism that defy simle definitions and categorization.' - Jason C. Robinson, The European Legacy

'...an excellent example of applied philosophy, in which philosophical theory and empirical research are brought into mutually illuminating contact.' - Andrew Alexandra, The Jerusalem Philosophical Quarterly

The first comprehensive discussion of all the main philosophical issues raised by terrorism, both conceptual and moral, against the background of its past and recent developments. Prominent philosophers and political theorists discuss definitions of terrorism, various approaches to its moral evaluation, and the contentious subject of state terrorism. Terrorism is assessed in terms of its consequences, justice and rights, and from the standpoint of just war theory. Also included are four case studies, showing how the concepts and arguments philosophers deploy in discussing violence, war, and terrorism apply to particular instances of both insurgent and state terrorism: the terror bombing campaigns of World War II, Northern Ireland, the Israeli-Arab conflict, and 11 September 2001 and its aftermath.

IGOR PRIMORATZ is Professor of Philosophy at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and Principal Research Fellow, at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne. He is the author of Justifying Legal Punishment, Ethics and Sex, and numerous papers in moral, political, and legal philosophy, and editor of Human Sexuality and Patriotism.