Ethics in war: the distinction between soldiers and civilians

Abstract

In war a soldier behaving properly should take into account a universal requirement not to kill, to be applied strictly in dealing with civilians, but at the same time to support the exception of taking the life of enemy combatants as an act of selfdefense. This is the usual way to distinguish morally the proper treatment to soldiers and civilians. In this article the author criticizes it and outlines a different way to understand and justify the moral distinction mentioned.

Keywords

• ética de la guerra
• principio de inmunidad de los no combatientes
• defensa propia
• consecuencialismo