CS Lewis on a “Just War”

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Lance

“War should be a last resort, declared by lawful authority and conducted according to the natural moral law: It should be defensive, not imperialistic, and there should be limits to one’s war aims, a fair chance of success, no torture of prisoners, no slavery, full personal accountability for the acts of those engaged, no intentional ‘collateral damage,’ and mercy and reconciliation after the conflict ends.”

Filed under: Geopolitics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, quotes

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3 Responses to “CS Lewis on a “Just War””

  1. Norm, on May 17th, 2008 at 9:11 am Said:

    I Agree 100%…. Don’t get use to it. ;)

  2. Mike O, on May 17th, 2008 at 9:47 am Said:

    And yet his greatest work (The Chronicles of Narnia)deals with four ‘occupiers’ working to eliminate tyranny in a country that had not been of their concern and no threat to them. And doing so with a war of liberation with shifting alliances and mass casualties.

    Those four foreigners ended up running that country for a time, did they not? Seems pretty imperialistic to me.

  3. jslef, on May 19th, 2008 at 8:29 am Said:

    Narnia is not Lewis’ greatest work, and it was not written as a political manifesto. It’s meant as a Christian work, following the spirit of the Gospels. Further, the four children are not “occupiers” but adventurers who do not come into Narnia at the head of vast armies. Rather, they mistakenly stumble into the magical land and are swept up in the troubles of a foriegn land. Doesn’t sound very imperialistic to me. Maybe nosy, but they didn’t drive tanks through the wardrobe.

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