I was recently discussing the British philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe’s strong objection to Oxford University’s decision to award US President Harry Truman with an Honorary Doctorate. Anscombe, appalled at Truman’s decision to drop two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – and subsequently defend his decision – lambasted her colleagues for their moral complicity and cowardice. I was asked whether I would have stood alongside her, had I been there at the time.
The answer, I suspect, is no.
It’s not because I think Anscombe is wrong. I don’t. It’s because I don’t believe that – faced with the overwhelming social pressure Anscombe faced, I would maintain my
