Necessity, Moral Liability, and Defensive Harm (original) (raw)

This paper critiques existing accounts of moral liability to defensive harm, particularly focusing on instrumental and noninstrumental views as presented by philosophers like Jeff McMahan. It introduces a pluralist account, positing that liability arises from both moral culpability for unjust threats and considerations of humanitarian rights. The authors argue that the pluralist perspective addresses limitations of previous theories and reflects more accurately the complexities of moral rights in situations of defensive harm.