Reply #155: military service: an immoral choice [View All]

[welshTerrier2]

it seems to me that joining the military is an immoral choice for anyone to make ... the reason for this is that, on joining the military, one agrees to follow orders regardless of one's personal moral code unless those orders are shown to be illegal ...

i consider it an immoral act to relinquish control over your own responsibility to assess right and wrong in any given situation ... that's especially true when that control is ceded to a government like the U.S. government that has been morally bankrupt for many years ... while it's true that even enlisted (or conscripted) military personnel can always refuse to participate in any specific action, the reality is that this is a significant exception to the rule.

by default, joining the military endorses a belief that all government actions, including the waging of war, are moral actions ... in joining, you are taking a pledge that you will serve as ordered ...

many cite all sorts of reasons for joining the military such as education, excitement, seeing the world and serving the country ... perhaps these are all very valid reasons, but for me, it is ultimately an immoral choice ...