Mr. Truman’s Degree
E286751
"Mr. Truman’s Degree" is a famous 1958 essay by philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe that forcefully criticizes President Harry Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs in World War II and challenges the moral reasoning behind such acts.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Mr. Truman’s Degree canonical | 1 |
Statements (32)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
philosophical essay
ⓘ
work of moral philosophy ⓘ |
| arguesAgainst | the idea that good consequences can justify intrinsically evil acts ⓘ |
| arguesThat |
deliberate killing of the innocent is always morally wrong
ⓘ
political leaders can commit grave moral wrongs even when acting for perceived greater goods ⓘ |
| author | Elizabeth Anscombe ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| criticizes |
President Harry S. Truman
ⓘ
surface form:
Harry S. Truman
consequentialist moral reasoning ⓘ use of atomic bombs in World War II ⓘ |
| criticizesView | that Truman’s decision was morally justified by ending the war more quickly ⓘ |
| field |
applied ethics
ⓘ
moral philosophy ⓘ political philosophy ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
intention and moral action
ⓘ
limits of political authority ⓘ moral absolutes ⓘ permissibility of killing innocents ⓘ |
| influenced |
Catholic discussions of just war and nuclear weapons
ⓘ
later discussions of nuclear deterrence ethics ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
ⓘ
ethics ⓘ just war theory ⓘ moral responsibility of political leaders ⓘ |
| notableFor |
early systematic philosophical critique of the atomic bombings
ⓘ
influence on contemporary debates about just war and nuclear ethics ⓘ |
| philosophicalTradition |
Catholic moral theology
ⓘ
analytic philosophy ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1958 ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Intention (Anscombe)
ⓘ
Modern Moral Philosophy ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.