ARE MILITARY PROFESSIONALS BOUND BY A HIGHER MORAL STANDARD

Many people, both in and out of the military, believe that military pr ofessionals are bound by a higher moral standard. What, exactly, might this mean? And do we have good reasons for thinking military professi onals are so bound? In this article, the author explores the various w ays we might elucidate the meaning of a higher moral standard and exam ine the available justifications for being bound by one. I conclude th at there are some scenarios in which the military professional is boun d by a higher moral standard, but point out that at least one commonly understood version of the claim goes too far. There are limits to the higher moral standards we can justifiably think bind the military pro fessional.