We tend to assume that physical violence, in general, is just obviously morally wrong; but we rarely ask exactly why. In this talk, Professor Bob Brecher shall attempt to offer some rough suggestions, referring to common instances of physical violence.
Building on those, he shall then turn to the really hard issue: is physical violence always wrong, or are there circumstances in which it might be morally justifiable? An underlying – but important – issue will be that of the role of philosophy in distinguishing those circumstances, if any, in which it is justified from others.
About the Speaker:
Prof. Bob Brecher works on moral and political philosophy, and in particular on issues around torture and “terrorism”. He is author of Torture and the Ticking Bomb, and co-directs the Conflict Cluster at the University of Brighton, as well as directing its Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics & Ethics.
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