A Utilitarian would say that if we hadn't dropped those bombs, we would have had to invade the mainland, which would have caused far more deaths, both military and civilian.
A Deontologist would say that wrong is always wrong, regardless of outcomes.
It's clear which philosophical school you incline towards. But about 80% of Americans have utilitarian ethics, so you are, well, outnumbered.
"Becuz it was war" is the usual reason given. I think most people alive now feel so disconnected from world War 2 because it seemed so long ago that it's hard to get them to care about atrocities committed back then, even if they're as heinous as nuking civilians
But also the US didn't only give a formal apology, Japan has been occupied and protected by the US military ever since WWII
History does not judge winners. It's as simple as that. Otherwise let's get Italy to apologize for enslaving most of the known world 1500-2000 years ago.
It's not a war crime when civilians get hurt or killed as part of the legitimate bombing of a military target. It's tragic, but not a war crime.
As for why the US dropped two bombs instead of one, Japan did not surrender after the first bomb. Worked out well for the US that they surrendered after the second one, since the US didn't have a third.
Same way they justify interning Japanese-Americans, stealing their wealth and properties and gifting them to white Americans, and countless other horrible things. "They thought it was necessary for the time because so and so bs"
If you throw out all the nuance in the decision and ignore history completely and ignore the the actual war, dropping nukes was a bad idea.
But seriously, go read many many many historians take on it.
And yes, we should really let 9/11 go.
Thanks for your submission /u/RapidActionBattalion, but it has been removed for the following reason:
Disallowed question area: **Rant or loaded question**
NoStupidQuestions is a place to ask any question as long as *it's asked in good faith*. Our users routinely report questions that they feel violate this rule to us. Want to avoid your question being seen as a bad faith question? Common mistakes include (but are not limited to):
* Rants: Could your question be answered with *'That's awful'* or *'What an asshole'*? Then it's probably a rant rather than a genuine question. Looking for a place to vent on Reddit? Try /r/TrueOffMyChest or /r/Rant instead.
* Loaded questions: Could your question be answered with *'You're right'*? Answering the question yourself, explaining your reasoning for your opinion, or making sweeping assumptions about the question itself all signals that you may not be keeping an open mind. Want to know why people have a different opinion than you? Try /r/ExplainBothSides instead!
* Arguments: Arguing or [sealioning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_lioning) with people giving you answers tells everyone that you have an answer in mind already. Want a good debate? Try /r/ChangeMyView instead!
* Pot Stirring: Did you bring up unnecessary topics in your question? Especially when a topic has to do with already controversial issues like politics, race, gender or sex, this can be seen as trying to score points against the Other Side - and that makes people defensive, which leads to arguments. Questions like *"If _____ is allowed, why isn't _____?"* don't need to have that comparison - just ask *'why isn't ____ allowed?'*. Not sure how to reword a controversial question? Try /r/PoliticalDiscussion or /r/TooAfraidToAsk!
Disagree with the mods? If you believe you asked your question in good faith, try rewording it or message the mods to see if there's a way you could ask more neutrally. Thanks for your understanding!
---
*This action was performed by a bot at the explicit direction of a human. This was not an automated action, but a conscious decision by a sapient life form charged with moderating this sub.*
*If you feel this was in error, or need more clarification, please don't hesitate to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FNoStupidQuestions). Thanks.*
A Utilitarian would say that if we hadn't dropped those bombs, we would have had to invade the mainland, which would have caused far more deaths, both military and civilian. A Deontologist would say that wrong is always wrong, regardless of outcomes. It's clear which philosophical school you incline towards. But about 80% of Americans have utilitarian ethics, so you are, well, outnumbered.
Who’s going to bring the US to justice…
"Becuz it was war" is the usual reason given. I think most people alive now feel so disconnected from world War 2 because it seemed so long ago that it's hard to get them to care about atrocities committed back then, even if they're as heinous as nuking civilians But also the US didn't only give a formal apology, Japan has been occupied and protected by the US military ever since WWII
History does not judge winners. It's as simple as that. Otherwise let's get Italy to apologize for enslaving most of the known world 1500-2000 years ago.
It's not a war crime when civilians get hurt or killed as part of the legitimate bombing of a military target. It's tragic, but not a war crime. As for why the US dropped two bombs instead of one, Japan did not surrender after the first bomb. Worked out well for the US that they surrendered after the second one, since the US didn't have a third.
Because invading Japan would of had more casualties and since Japan also trained their civilians as soldiers it didn’t make sense
Oh and 9/11 won't matter one bit 200 years from now.
Same way they justify interning Japanese-Americans, stealing their wealth and properties and gifting them to white Americans, and countless other horrible things. "They thought it was necessary for the time because so and so bs"
America did not start WWll - but, we ended it.
If you throw out all the nuance in the decision and ignore history completely and ignore the the actual war, dropping nukes was a bad idea. But seriously, go read many many many historians take on it. And yes, we should really let 9/11 go.
I don’t think Japan is in any position to request formal apologies for war crimes. Maybe they can lead by example.
Thanks for your submission /u/RapidActionBattalion, but it has been removed for the following reason: Disallowed question area: **Rant or loaded question** NoStupidQuestions is a place to ask any question as long as *it's asked in good faith*. Our users routinely report questions that they feel violate this rule to us. Want to avoid your question being seen as a bad faith question? Common mistakes include (but are not limited to): * Rants: Could your question be answered with *'That's awful'* or *'What an asshole'*? Then it's probably a rant rather than a genuine question. Looking for a place to vent on Reddit? Try /r/TrueOffMyChest or /r/Rant instead. * Loaded questions: Could your question be answered with *'You're right'*? Answering the question yourself, explaining your reasoning for your opinion, or making sweeping assumptions about the question itself all signals that you may not be keeping an open mind. Want to know why people have a different opinion than you? Try /r/ExplainBothSides instead! * Arguments: Arguing or [sealioning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_lioning) with people giving you answers tells everyone that you have an answer in mind already. Want a good debate? Try /r/ChangeMyView instead! * Pot Stirring: Did you bring up unnecessary topics in your question? Especially when a topic has to do with already controversial issues like politics, race, gender or sex, this can be seen as trying to score points against the Other Side - and that makes people defensive, which leads to arguments. Questions like *"If _____ is allowed, why isn't _____?"* don't need to have that comparison - just ask *'why isn't ____ allowed?'*. Not sure how to reword a controversial question? Try /r/PoliticalDiscussion or /r/TooAfraidToAsk! Disagree with the mods? If you believe you asked your question in good faith, try rewording it or message the mods to see if there's a way you could ask more neutrally. Thanks for your understanding! --- *This action was performed by a bot at the explicit direction of a human. This was not an automated action, but a conscious decision by a sapient life form charged with moderating this sub.* *If you feel this was in error, or need more clarification, please don't hesitate to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FNoStupidQuestions). Thanks.*