Thinkers Face the Limits of a Just War: ‘Few moral philosophers except committed pacifists dispute that the United

States has just cause to use force in this case. But many emphatically reject

the use of the word “war” in anything but a metaphorical sense, noting

that in this case the enemy is not a state against which hostilities can be

formally declared and from which surrender can be sought.’

The moral philosophers are not the only philosophers grappling with the implications of the attacks and our response. Attacks on U.S. Challenge Postmodern True

Believers:

The destruction of the World Trade Center

and the attack on the Pentagon may have

similar effects, challenging the intellectual

and ethical perspectives of two sets of

ideas: postmodernism (affectionately

known as pomo) and postcolonialism

(which might be called poco). These ideas,

which have affected political debate and

university scholarship, are now being

subject to a shock that may lead in two

directions: on one hand to a more intense commitment, and on the other

— I hope — to a more intense rejection.

New York Times [name: “FMHreader”, password: “FMHreader”]