Exploring the ethics of deterrence

Are we allowed to form defensive alliances even if this makes our neighbors worse off? May we install a surveillance camera on our home even if this makes a burglar more likely to break in next door? Can deterrence be a legitimate motive for war? Philosopher Helen Frowe is examining the ethical aspects of deterrence, giving us better tools to determine whether or not a given method of deterrence is acceptable.

Helen Frowe at Stockholm University is Wallenberg Scholar. Photo: Magnus Bergström/KAW

Deterrence is a common strategy to try to dissuade someone from doing something you do not want them to do. This may be anything from speeding fines to surveillance cameras to deter theft to military readiness to deter aggressors from attacking a country.

But Frowe, who is a professor of philosophy at Stockholm University and a Wallenberg Scholar, believes that although deterrence plays a central role in domestic and international politics, there has not been enough research in the ethical aspects of deterrence mechanisms.

Read full article on the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation web

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Last updated: October 28, 2024

Source: Communications Office

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