Abstract

This essay examines William Temple's defense of the British bombing of German cities during the Second World War. After detailing Temple's position in defense of the bombing, the essay raises a number of questions from within the just war tradition. First, does the just war tradition have to be understood deontologically, or is it possible to interpret it in a utilitarian fashion? If the former, then considerations of the means of warfare are still important. Second, how should we characterize the relationship of the citizen and the state during modern warfare? Is it as close as Temple claimed, so that we can no longer distinguish between citizens and states? Third, has the practice of deception of citizens by their leaders on questions of the means of warfare led to a situation in which it is no longer prudent to trust political leaders when they report to their peoples on these matters? The paper ends with a suggestion for further discussion on the third question.