Recipe for a Theory of Self-Defense: The Ingredients, and Some Cooking Suggestions

The Ethics of Self-Defense (OUP); C. Loons and M. Weber, eds. Bowling Green State University (2014)

San Diego Legal Studies Paper No. 13-121

42 Pages Posted: 13 Jun 2013

See all articles by Larry Alexander

Larry Alexander

University of San Diego School of Law

Date Written: June 11, 2013

Abstract

Self-defense and its close relative, defense of others, are uses of force against another person — Attacker — for the purpose of preventing Attacker from harming another’s person or property. These uses of force are called self-defense (SD) when employed by the one whose person or property is threatened (the Victim, or V); they are called defense of others (DO) when employed by a non-threatened third party who is not in V’s family (TP).

SD and DO are preemptive uses of force because they occur before the acts they are intended to prevent occur. They thus belong to the family of preemptive measures that harm people or restrict their liberty in order to prevent them from harming others in the future. Examples of preemptive measures other than SD and DO include preventive detention, restraining orders, gun control laws, and similar laws making possession of certain items illegal for fear of their misuse.

Because SD and DO are preemptive, they operate in the realm of epistemic uncertainty. V and TP can never be certain the feared acts will occur. They can never be certain that if the acts occur, what their consequences will be. They can never be certain what alternative to SD and DO for averting the feared harms exist. And they can never be certain what the status of the presumed Attacker is — that is, whether the presumed Attacker is culpable or nonculpable. I will have had a lot more to say about these epistemic points in due course.

Keywords: self-defense, defense of others, duress, culpability, agent-relative, lesser evils, use as means

JEL Classification: K10, K32

Suggested Citation

Alexander, Lawrence, Recipe for a Theory of Self-Defense: The Ingredients, and Some Cooking Suggestions (June 11, 2013). The Ethics of Self-Defense (OUP); C. Loons and M. Weber, eds. Bowling Green State University (2014), San Diego Legal Studies Paper No. 13-121, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2277830

Lawrence Alexander (Contact Author)

University of San Diego School of Law ( email )

5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
United States
619-260-2317 (Phone)
619-260-4728 (Fax)

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