The Dissenter

#1168 Jeff McMahan: The Ethics of Political Violence: Can It Be Justified?

Oct 27, 2025
Guest
Jeff McMahan
In this discussion, Jeff McMahan, Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford, dives deep into the murky waters of political violence. He defines its parameters, distinguishing it from war and questioning if actions like genocide qualify as such. McMahan examines whether political violence can ever be justified, highlighting cases like Palestinian resistance and the ethics surrounding political assassinations, including the controversial Charlie Kirk case. He also tackles the ramifications of celebrating murders and debates the consequences for those expressing radical political views, emphasizing context.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

What Counts As Political Violence

  • Political violence usually means violence by individuals or small groups motivated by political aims rather than state war actions.
  • The term commonly excludes war and often covers terrorism, assassination, and domestic state violence.
INSIGHT

Liability Is Central To Justified Assassination

  • Assassination can be justified only when the target is morally liable to be harmed and killing would prevent grave harms.
  • McMahan adds necessity and proportionality as internal to liability, making justified assassinations rare and often counterproductive.
INSIGHT

Violence Often Backfires In Democracies

  • Political violence in democracies tends to be counterproductive because it creates martyrs and provokes outrage and revenge.
  • Assassinations often strengthen successors and polarize societies instead of solving wrongdoing.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app