The Ethics of Self-Defense

Edited by Christian Coons and Michael Weber

Features fifteen original essays by leading scholars on the topic of self-defense
Addresses questions concerning the ethics of self-defense, most centrally when and to what extent the use of defensive force, especially lethal force, can be justified
Focuses on a topic of public concern, relevant to controversial cases of the use of force by police, and military force exercised in the name of defending against transnational terrorism

The Ethics of Self-Defense

Edited by Christian Coons and Michael Weber

Description

The fifteen new essays collected in this volume address questions concerning the ethics of self-defense, most centrally when and to what extent the use of defensive force, especially lethal force, can be justified. Scholarly interest in this topic reflects public concern stemming from controversial cases of the use of force by police, and military force exercised in the name of defending against transnational terrorism. The contributors pay special attention to determining when a threat is liable to defensive harm, though doubts about this emphasis are also raised. The legitimacy of so-called "stand your ground" policies and laws is also addressed. This volume will be of great interest to readers in moral, political, and legal philosophy.

The Ethics of Self-Defense

Edited by Christian Coons and Michael Weber

1. Introduction
Christian Coons and Michael Weber
2. Recipe for a Theory of Self-Defense: The Ingredients, and Some Cooking Suggestions
Larry Alexander
3. The Moral Responsibility Account of Liability to Defensive Harm
Michael Otsuka
4. Defensive Liability Without Culpability
Saba Bazargan
5. Defense of Self and Others Against Culpable Rights Violators
Peter Vallentyne
6. Causation, Culpability, and Liability
Victor Tadors
7. Self-Defense and Risks
Vera Bergelson
8. The Role of Necessity in Liability to Defensive Harm
Helen Frowe
9. Proportionality in Defense
Kai Draper
10. The Limits of Self-Defense
Jeff McMahan
11. Against Liability: A Reasons-Based Account of Self-Defense
Michelle Madden Dempsey
12. Forfeiture and Self-Defense
Kimberly Ferzan
13. Stand Your Ground
Heidi Hurd
14. Fight or Flight: Moral Intuitions, Institutions, and the Right to Stand One's Ground
Ian Fishback
15. Liability and the Ethics of War: A Response to Strawser and McMahan
Seth Lazar
Bibliography
Index

The Ethics of Self-Defense

Edited by Christian Coons and Michael Weber

Author Information

Edited by Christian Coons, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Bowling Green State University, and Michael Weber, Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Philosophy, Bowling Green State University

Christian Coons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. His research focuses on theory selection in normative ethics, the nature of value, and the structural relationship between normative concepts.

Michael Weber is Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. His research in moral and political philosophy centers on contemporary egalitarianism, rational choice theory, and the place of the emotions in ethics.

Contributors:

Christian Coons
Michael Weber
Larry Alexander
Michael Otsuka
Saba Bazargan
Peter Vallentyne
Victor Tadors
Vera Bergelson
Helen Frowe
Kai Draper
Jeff McMahan
Michelle Madden Dempsey
Kimberly Ferzan
Heidi Hurd
Ian Fishback
Seth Lazar