Guest Post on intellectual honesty

I’m posting this on behalf of Larry Burtoft (PhD, Ethics, USC). I’m curious to see if any cadets will rise up to respond to his challenge here. Essentially, he’s curious if any of you can even approach the issues of Just-War, pacifism, etc. with intellectual honesty given your various commitments (particularly since you juniors and above are now committed to the military). Is any pacifist position even a "live" option to any of you? Is it even possible it is the correct position? If the answer to those are questions is no... then is engaging this debate just a waste of time? Here are Dr. Burtoft’s questions. Feel free to respond to 1, or 2, or both.

Dr. Burtoft asks:

1. Can you really debate the just war/pacifism issue with integrity, given your current commitment to military service, and the fact that the goal of graduation, commissioning and a good salary is in sight? There are so many forces at work within you, as well as outside, that militate (!) against any semblance of objectivity. After all, what would you say to your parents, who have sacrificed so much to help you get where you are today? Then there are your fellow classmates and friends; what would they think? Again, what about the debt you would incur for not fulfilling your service commitment? With all of this - not to mention the problem of figuring out what you would do if you were not to become an officer - can you seriously believe that you have the courage to seriously entertain the pacifist position? It is highly doubtful.
2. If you somehow could convince yourself that you could muster the courage to engage the debate with integrity, just what argument would convince you that the use of governmentally authorized lethal force is immoral? Again, it is highly doubtful, given your situation, that you can imagine such a scenario. You are simply psychologically predisposed and conditioned to think that unjust violence justifies the response of, well, justified violence. After all, can you imagine not responding as Israel is currently doing to the terrorist attacks by Hezbollah? Doesn't any and every possible pacifist argument strike you as the thinking of a "moral moron," to quote the Jewish Just War proponent, Dennis Prager? Is it really possible to seriously entertain pacifism? If not, then isn't the academic discussion mere word play and irrelevant frivolity?