Justified Killing

Bringing to bear a lawyer's grasp of the case law, a scholar's knowledge of our moral tradition, and a philosopher's incisive insight and rigor of argument, Kaufman boldly, forthrightly, and clearly builds a powerful and novel case for seeing the doctrine of double effect not merely as not forbidding self-defense, but in fact as offering the only acceptable basis for a theory of self-defense. Not just those interested in self-defense, but also moral and legal theorists more generally will want to study this book. -- Henry S. Richardson, Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University
Primarily for those interested in the philosophy of law. However, the book is quite accessible, even for someone who has not studied philosophy for several decades. * Law and Politics Book Review *
Whitley Kaufman's provocative account marks a renaissance of moral awareness concerning the gravity of killing in self-defense and the difficulty of justifying the same. This work will jar many from their dogmatic slumbers; it marks a watershed in the recovery of a venerable attitude of thoughtful ambivalence, unease, and due caution concerning killing in self or other-defense. Kaufman does yeoman work here showing that the current insouciance regarding the ease of justifying homicidal self-defense is not merited. Considering how much depends upon the success of arguments for killing in self-defense—justified war, to name but one example —ethicists will do well to ponder and rise to the challenge here compellingly articulated by Kaufman. -- Thomas Cavanaugh, University of San Francisco