On Dropping Nuclear Weapons: A Question for the Ages

BIC 3532

The United States’ decision to drop nuclear bombs on Japan remains a controversial decision to this day. The loss of life and overall destruction was so great that no country has used nuclear bombs since. However, in considering the situation in which the bombs were dropped -- warfare in the Pacific was particularly brutal -- the decision is fully justifiable. By examining great thinkers and philosophies from 1582-1988, we can understand the motivations behind wars and how best to end them. I argue that throughout the modern age, philosophers have argued that choosing the lesser of two evils is a moral responsibility. I would further assert that, given the alternatives, bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki was definitely the lesser of two evils.