What was Thomas Nagel's argument of his writing war and massacre?

Answer 1

For Nagel fighting clean is directing aggression and hostility at its true object. Fighting dirty is when aggression is directed at a peripheral target, which can be used to attack the proper object indirectly. Nagel states that the main principle in fights should maintain that the hostility and aggression be directed at its true object. Nagel then makes the claim that if the principle of fighting clean and fighting dirty can be applied on such matters among ordinary people, then this principle should be applied in a war as well, to both the conduct of soldiers and to the conduct of nations.

Answer 2

In his essay "War and Massacre," Thomas Nagel argues that certain military actions must be considered permissible, despite being morally problematic, in order to prevent even greater violations of moral principles. He suggests that while war and massacre are morally repugnant, there are situations where they may be necessary to prevent catastrophic outcomes. Nagel emphasizes the complexities and trade-offs involved in making decisions about wartime actions.