Normative Justification and Moral Responsibility in The Context of War: A Comparative Study of Augustine And Levinas

Abstract

War has remained an enduring feature of human civilization, presenting one of the most complex ethical dilemmas confronting humanity. Despite significant developments in political institutions and international law, the justification and moral responsibility of warfare continue to evoke philosophical debate. This study investigates the normative justification and moral accountability of war through a comparative analysis of Saint Augustine’s Just War Theory and Emmanuel Levinas’s Ethics of the Face of the Other. The central research problem concerns the unresolved tension between the ethical legitimacy of war and the moral responsibility toward the Other. The study asks: (1) How does Augustine provide a systematic moral framework for the justification of warfare? (2) In what ways does Levinas’s ethical philosophy challenge this justification? and (3) Can their concepts of justice and responsibility be integrated to form a coherent ethical approach to war in the modern world? Adopting a qualitative, analytical, and comparative philosophical methodology, the research critically analyze the primary concepts of Augustine and Levinas, supported by contemporary commentaries. Findings reveal that while Augustine moralizes warfare under conditions of justice and right intention, Levinas rejects all forms of violence as violations of ethical being. Yet, their dialogue suggests a possible synthesis where justice is continually governed by responsibility. The study concludes that an ethically informed political philosophy must integrate Augustinian criteria of justice with Levinasian responsibility, offering a framework for rethinking the ethics of war and peace in the contemporary global order.