ABSTRACT
Many just war theorists have sought to explain the permissibility of killing in war by pointing out that there are other exceptions to the general prohibition on taking life. Most notable amongst these is the exception that permits the killing of an attacker in self-defence or in defence of other people. When our lives are threatened, most of us think that it is permissible to try to defend ourselves even if we can do so only by inflicting very great or even lethal harm upon our attacker. We also think that someone who defends us against such an attack, even if they kill our attacker, is pretty heroic. So, if a case can be made that killing in war is a form of defensive killing, we may have the beginnings of an explanation of why killing in war is permissible.
