Krista Thomason, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Member, Peace and Conflict Studies Faculty Committee
Tuesday, Feb. 13th, 4:15PM
McCabe Library Atrium
Child Soldiers and Moral Responsibility
“It is common to think that child soldiers cannot be morally responsible for the violence they commit: not only are they underage, they typically are forced to join paramilitary units, they suffer psychological and physical abuse, and they participate in combat only under threat of harm or death. Yet when we examine the first-person accounts of former child soldiers, we find that they see themselves as responsible for their actions. It is tempting to think that their feelings are simply misguided or a result of their trauma. I argue instead that child soldiers, like adult ex-combat soldiers, suffer moral injury and their feelings of responsibility are part of the process of redrawing the boundaries of their moral selves.”
