THE OSLO LECTURE IN MORAL PHILOSOPHY 2007

Professor Frances Kamm, Harvard University

Terrorism and Intending Evil

August 30th, 2007
Universitetets Aula (Domus Media) , 18.15 – 20.00

(12.02.08) Standardly terrorism involves harm to civilians that causes terror in other civilians. However, this can also happen in collateral damage. It has been argued that the fact that harm and terror are intended in terrorism but not in collateral damage makes the former impermissible when the latter might sometimes be permissible.

 

In her talk Frances Kamm will examine whether the intentions of an agent could make an act that causes harm and terror be impermissible and also whether all acts that involve intending harm and terror constitute terrorism. Professor Kamm will propose another way in which to distinguish terrorism from collateral damage and consider whether that distinction might be relevant to determining the impermissibility of terrorism. She will also consider whether terrorism might sometimes be permissible.

An interview (in Norwegian) with Professor Kamm about the topic of her lecture can be read here.