Ethics, Morality, and War

What are ethics? What is morality? How can one behave in a moral manner? These are among the most difficult and most interesting questions that face people of any age. What defines a “Warrior” today? We explore these important questions with our guest, Dr. Shannon E. French, (then) Assoc. Prof. Associate Chair, Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy and author of The Code of the Warrior. More info on the book can be found here. About the book:Warrior cultures throughout history have developed unique codes that restrict their behavior and set them apart from the rest of society. But what possible reason could a warrior have for accepting such restraints? Why should those whose profession can force them into hellish kill-or-be-killed conditions care about such lofty concepts as honor, courage, nobility, duty, and sacrifice? And why should it matter so much to the warriors themselves that they be something more than mere murderers? The Code of the Warrior tackles these timely issues and takes the reader on a tour of warrior cultures and their values, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Vikings and Celts, from legendary chivalric knights to Native American tribesmen, from Chinese warrior monks pursuing enlightenment to Japanese samurai practicing death. Drawing these rich traditions up to the present, the author quests for a code for the warriors of today, as they do battle in asymmetric conflicts against unconventional forces and the scourge of global terrorism.