Philosophy 9/11

Texte du rabat

On September 11th, 2001, popular perceptions of terrorism were transformed. Although many terrorist activities had occurred earlier, the 9/11 outrages were widely seen as escalating the terrorist danger to an entirely new level. Vast resources were suddenly poured into "the war on terror," sweeping legislation was rushed through Congress, a major new department of the federal government was created, and two foreign countries were invaded and occupied in the name of the struggle against terrorism. There has been no shortage of action. Yet human action is always directed by ideas, and many of the ideas inspiring the current flury of "anti-terrorist" activities are in need of scrutiny and clarification. In Philosophy 9/11, philosophical scholars specializing in terorism-related topics, several of them also officers in the United States military, closely examine some of the basic presuppositions of our response to terrorist attacks.

Résumé
Many of the most pressing questions raised by terrorism are philosophical in nature. This book explores the crucial ethical and theoretical issues, such as: What is "terrorism" and how is it different from other types of violence? Do recent terrorist attacks constitute a fundamentally "new" type of terrorism? How can a nation conduct a "just war" against terrorists? Is torture of terrorists during interrogation ever justified? Philosophers and terrorism experts answer these pressing moral and political questions with clarity and wisdom.