The limited (but relevant) role of the doctrine of the double effect in the Just War Theory

EDUARDO RIVERA LÓPEZ

Ethics and Global Politics

Routledge

Año: 2017 vol. 10 p. 117 - 139

1654-4951

My focus in this paper is the use of the doctrine of double effect (DDE)in the context of Just War Theory. Different versions of DDE havedifferent degrees of plausibility. Two distinctions are crucial. First, Idistinguish between epistemically idealized and non-idealized scenarios.Second, I distinguish between versions of DDE that make a ceterisparibus comparison between intentional and non-intentional outcomes,from versions that either make a comparison that is not ceterisparibus or are non-comparative. After undertaking these classificatorytasks, I defend the following claims: First, in an idealized world, ceterisparibus versions of DDE are plausible. Second, we cannot transfer suchplausibility to stronger (non-ceteris paribus) versions of DDE. Finally, ina non-idealized world, DDE is plausible. The argument for this lastclaim combines the reasons for defending ceteris paribus versions ofDDE in idealized circumstances with an argument about how toproceed when we face hard choices under uncertainty.