Separating the 'Rights Of' and 'Justice For' Bombers

摘要

It is not surprising that terrorism should provoke verymany moral questions. In some cases, it is a political tool that relies on our having strong moral reactions just so it can violate them—the point is not always to harm, but to engage in “coercive intimidation” (Primoratz, 1990, 130). Yet the utility of this political tool demands that the terrorist be prepared to harm the innocent, perhaps with a heavy heart (Mapel 2001, 259; ‘R.A.T.’ 1971, passim), lest he not be taken seriously. In other cases, the terrorist has his sights set on a whole society—inwhich case, the notion of the innocent victim has no power, because—notionally—none is innocent. Again, this runs against commonsense morality.