Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious and Secular Perspectives

The book opens with an Introduction by Sohail H. Hashmi and Steven P. Lee. The editors explain that the term “weapons of mass destruction” generally refers to nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. They frame the book around two objectives: first, to broaden the range of participants in ethical debates about WMD; second, to expand the content of the debate beyond Cold War nuclear deterrence to include biological and chemical weapons, proliferation, terrorism, rogue states, international law, and disarmament. Introductory Background Chapters Chapter 1: “Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Brief Overview” — Susan B. Martin This chapter provides the technical foundation for the whole volume. It introduces nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, their history, military characteristics, destructive effects, and ethical problems. Martin explains how the term WMD came to include these three types of weapons and raises the question of whether the category is morally coherent. Chapter 2: “The International Law Concerning Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Paul C. Szasz This chapter surveys the international legal framework governing WMD. It discusses major international agreements, including the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Biological Weapons Convention, Chemical Weapons Convention, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and other arms-control regimes. The chapter clarifies the legal distinction between possession, development, testing, deployment, and use. Part One: The Original Debate Chapter 3: “Realist Perspectives on Ethical Norms and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Scott D. Sagan Sagan presents a realist perspective on WMD, emphasizing state survival, power, deterrence, and national security. The chapter explores whether ethical norms can meaningfully constrain states in an anarchic international system. Chapter 4: “Realism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Consequentialist Analysis” — Susan B. Martin This chapter develops a consequentialist realist account. It asks whether WMD may be justified if they prevent larger wars, deter aggression, or preserve state security. The chapter also considers the risks of escalation, accidental use, and proliferation. Chapter 5: “Natural Law and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — C. A. J. Coady Coady examines WMD from the perspective of natural law and just war reasoning. The chapter focuses on moral limits in war, especially discrimination, proportionality, and the protection of noncombatants. Chapter 6: “War and Indeterminacy in Natural Law Thinking” — John Langan, S.J. Langan develops a more nuanced natural law response, highlighting the complexity and uncertainty involved in applying moral principles to actual war. The chapter addresses the indeterminacy of moral reasoning when facing catastrophic weapons. Chapter 7: “Liberalism: The Impossibility of Justifying Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Henry Shue Shue argues from a liberal moral perspective that WMD are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to justify. The chapter emphasizes individual rights, civilian immunity, and the moral impossibility of intentionally or foreseeably destroying large civilian populations. Chapter 8: “A Liberal Perspective on Deterrence and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Michael Walzer Walzer considers deterrence, proliferation, and the moral paradoxes of nuclear weapons. He examines whether the threat of use can be justified even when actual use would be morally impermissible. Chapter 9: “Christianity and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Nigel Biggar Biggar presents a Christian ethical analysis of WMD, drawing on just war theory, moral responsibility, and theological accounts of violence, justice, and restraint. Chapter 10: “Christian Apocalypticism and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Martin L. Cook Cook examines apocalyptic strands within Christian thought and their possible relationship to nuclear anxiety, mass destruction, and eschatological imagination. The chapter studies how religious visions of the end times may influence attitudes toward catastrophic weapons. Part Two: Expanding the Conversation Chapter 11: “Buddhist Perspectives on Weapons of Mass Destruction” — David W. Chappell Chappell examines WMD through Buddhist ethical principles, especially non-harming, compassion, interdependence, and the moral consequences of intentional violence. The chapter considers whether any Buddhist framework could justify weapons designed for mass destruction. Chapter 12: “Buddhism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Oxymoron?” — Donald K. Swearer Swearer deepens the Buddhist discussion by asking whether Buddhism and WMD are fundamentally incompatible. He explores how Buddhist traditions may retrieve older ethical norms and apply them to modern military technology. Chapter 13: “Confucianism and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Julia Ching Ching presents a Confucian approach to WMD, emphasizing moral governance, humane rule, responsibility, social harmony, and the ethical duties of rulers. Chapter 14: “‘Heaven’s Mandate’ and the Concept of War in Early Confucianism” — Philip J. Ivanhoe Ivanhoe focuses on early Confucian concepts such as Heaven’s Mandate, legitimate authority, righteous punishment, and morally constrained warfare. The chapter examines how these ideas might apply to WMD. Chapter 15: “Hinduism and the Ethics of Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Katherine K. Young Young analyzes Hindu ethical resources concerning war, duty, nonviolence, kingship, and cosmic order. The chapter considers how Hindu traditions may support pacifist, prudential, or political responses to WMD. Chapter 16: “Hinduism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Pacifist, Prudential, and Political” — Kanti Bajpai Bajpai explores multiple Hindu responses to WMD, including Gandhian nonviolence, strategic prudence, and political Hindu nationalism. The chapter highlights internal diversity within Hindu ethical reasoning. Chapter 17: “Islamic Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Argument for Nonproliferation” — Sohail H. Hashmi Hashmi presents an Islamic ethical argument against WMD proliferation. The chapter discusses Islamic norms on warfare, limits, civilian immunity, proportionality, and the prohibition of transgression. Chapter 18: “‘Do Not Violate the Limit’: Three Issues in Islamic Thinking on Weapons of Mass Destruction” — John Kelsay Kelsay focuses on the Qur’anic and juristic idea of limits in warfare. He considers how Islamic ethical reasoning addresses deterrence, retaliation, and the moral boundaries of military action. Chapter 19: “Judaism, War, and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Reuven Kimelman Kimelman examines Jewish sources on war, self-defense, preservation of life, collective survival, and the ethical constraints of military force. The chapter also considers the Israeli nuclear context. Chapter 20: “Between the Bible and the Holocaust: Three Sources for Jewish Perspectives on Mass Destruction” — Joseph E. David David studies Jewish ethical reflection through biblical sources, historical experience, and the memory of the Holocaust. The chapter explores how existential vulnerability shapes Jewish perspectives on mass destruction. Part Three: Critical Perspectives Chapter 21: “A Feminist Ethical Perspective on Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Carol Cohn and Sara Ruddick This chapter critiques WMD discourse from a feminist ethical perspective. It questions militarized language, abstraction, masculine security paradigms, and the marginalization of civilian suffering, especially the suffering of women and children. Chapter 22: “A Pragmatist Feminist Approach to the Ethics of Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Lucinda Joy Peach Peach develops a pragmatist feminist response, focusing on lived consequences, practical moral reasoning, social vulnerability, and policy alternatives that reduce harm. Chapter 23: “Pacifism and Weapons of Mass Destruction” — Robert L. Holmes Holmes analyzes WMD from a pacifist standpoint. The chapter argues that weapons designed for large-scale destruction intensify the moral case against war itself. Chapter 24: “Pacifism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Challenge of Peace” — Duane L. Cady Cady continues the pacifist critique by challenging the moral assumptions behind deterrence, militarism, and the normalization of mass-destructive capability. The chapter emphasizes peace as an active ethical project. Chapter 25: “Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Limits of Moral Understanding: A Comparative Essay” — Steven P. Lee The concluding chapter compares the different traditions represented in the volume. Lee identifies convergences and divergences among realist, liberal, natural law, religious, feminist, and pacifist approaches. The essay also reflects on the limits of moral reasoning when confronted with weapons capable of indiscriminate and catastrophic destruction. The volume ends with a Contributors section and an Index, making it a structured academic resource for comparative ethics, international relations, religious studies, political philosophy, and war-and-peace studies.