Contemporary right of war

Abstract

Wars have always existed. Human beings have always fought against each other, sometimes to defend themselves, sometimes to defend their territory, sometimes to attackor to counterattack. Wars, since the beginning, have always been seen as something fair: it is fair to fight the enemy, it is just to invade Barbarian peoples, it is fair to be armed as prevention, it is fair to wage war when that war is justifiable to protect a people, a nation, a group or a State. In this sense, in the Middle Ages, the war has always been considered fair, and never seen as outrage since it did not hurt the ethical and moral principles of Church. The Church, in turn, declared war against the heretics who were considered enemies of the Church and the Faith. Thus, burning a living heretic at the stake was considered something fair, considering thus the enemy of faith would not disturb the order and the welfare of a whole society. The war is legitimized from criteria that are justified by reasons that are sometimes contradictory to a reasonable rationality. Although, in a certain way, we accept them due to the imposition of those who have authority to do so, without a feeling of guilt, condoning a morality that justifies the war.