Drone Strikes 1
Destroying a Hijacked Commercial Plane
University of Arizona Global Campus
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Drone Strikes 2
Part 1: Introduction, Case Study, Ethical Question
As a nation, do we believe it is acceptable to deploy drone strikes on suspected terrorists,
even if there is a chance of casualty of the innocent? September 11, 2001 will be a day that no
one forgets. Terrorists hijacked two commercial airplanes crashing them into the World Trade
Center, killing 2,977 people. The Taliban took responsibility for these terrorist attacks. It was
stated as “the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.” (Huiskes, 2023) On November 3,
2002, the first targeted drone strike by the Central Intelligence Agency killed six targets
suspected of partaking in al Qaeda and posing a danger to the United States in Yemen. Over the
years, the US has enhanced its ability to conduct drone strikes to eliminate terrorists successfully.
Just like with anything else, drone strikes are not a guarantee. There is always that risk of
unplanned casualties. This is where the moral dilemma is a factor. Since there is no guarantee
that the strike will take out the intended target or that innocent bystander’s lives will not be lost
during the attack. Of course, the mission of any drone strike is to have the most successful
, outcome in removing said target and minimalizing the risk of civilian fatalities. A single strike
has the authority in one person’s hand to potentially take out an entire town with just a button
push. This takes excellent responsibility not to misuse the control and submit to immoral
possibilities. The military has created jobs to train our servicemembers to fly drones and conduct
effective strikes properly. Does this change your ethical beliefs if the strike is on a country that
we are currently not at war with, but we know the known terrorist is there? This strike could
potentially kill hundreds of innocents, including children.
In the textbook, “Ethics asks the question of whether going to war is justified and the
conditions for the just conduct of war.” (Thames, 2018) It was defined in the text, “The word
deon means duty or that which is necessary. The ending ology means science or study of
Destroying a Hijacked Commercial Plane
University of Arizona Global Campus
PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Drone Strikes 2
Part 1: Introduction, Case Study, Ethical Question
As a nation, do we believe it is acceptable to deploy drone strikes on suspected terrorists,
even if there is a chance of casualty of the innocent? September 11, 2001 will be a day that no
one forgets. Terrorists hijacked two commercial airplanes crashing them into the World Trade
Center, killing 2,977 people. The Taliban took responsibility for these terrorist attacks. It was
stated as “the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.” (Huiskes, 2023) On November 3,
2002, the first targeted drone strike by the Central Intelligence Agency killed six targets
suspected of partaking in al Qaeda and posing a danger to the United States in Yemen. Over the
years, the US has enhanced its ability to conduct drone strikes to eliminate terrorists successfully.
Just like with anything else, drone strikes are not a guarantee. There is always that risk of
unplanned casualties. This is where the moral dilemma is a factor. Since there is no guarantee
that the strike will take out the intended target or that innocent bystander’s lives will not be lost
during the attack. Of course, the mission of any drone strike is to have the most successful
, outcome in removing said target and minimalizing the risk of civilian fatalities. A single strike
has the authority in one person’s hand to potentially take out an entire town with just a button
push. This takes excellent responsibility not to misuse the control and submit to immoral
possibilities. The military has created jobs to train our servicemembers to fly drones and conduct
effective strikes properly. Does this change your ethical beliefs if the strike is on a country that
we are currently not at war with, but we know the known terrorist is there? This strike could
potentially kill hundreds of innocents, including children.
In the textbook, “Ethics asks the question of whether going to war is justified and the
conditions for the just conduct of war.” (Thames, 2018) It was defined in the text, “The word
deon means duty or that which is necessary. The ending ology means science or study of
