Spying Through a Glass Darkly
The Ethics of Espionage and Counter-Intelligence
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:15th Jan '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Cécile Fabre draws back the curtain on the ethics of espionage and counterintelligence. Espionage and counter-intelligence activities, both real and imagined, weave a complex and alluring story. Yet there is hardly any serious philosophical work on the subject. Cécile Fabre presents a systematic account of the ethics of espionage and counterintelligence. She argues that such operations, in the context of war and foreign policy, are morally justified as a means, but only as a means, to protect oneself and third parties from ongoing violations of fundamental rights. In doing so, she addresses a range of ethical questions: are intelligence officers morally permitted to bribe, deceive, blackmail, and manipulate as a way to uncover state secrets? Is cyberespionage morally permissible? Are governments morally permitted to resort to the mass surveillance of their and foreign populations as a means to unearth possible threats against national security? Can treason ever be morally permissible? Can it ever be legitimate to resort to economic espionage in the name of national security? The book offers answers to those questions through a blend of philosophical arguments and historical examples.
Superb . . . an immensely important contribution to the intelligence literature * Joseph Gartin, Studies in Intelligence *
Though this is a work of academic philosophy, it is nonetheless of considerable interest to those actively working in the UK intelligence community, many of whom (contrary to popular imagination, perhaps) take very seriously the ethical dimensions of their work. * Anonymous, Times Literary Supplement *
Cécile Fabre's latest book further demonstrates that she is among the most insightful and prolific thinkers working on the ethics of foreign policy. Here she expands her reach by turning to an underaddressed issue in political theory and applied ethics: the morality of espionage. * Saba Bazargan-Forward, Ethics *
An excellent work of applied moral philosophy. It is philosophically rigorous, but clearly written. . . . The breadth of her research is remarkable. * Michael Skerker, Philosophical Quarterly *
A comprehensive and forensic survey of espionage practices and the necessary evils sometimes carried out by their exponents. It would be of particular interest to philosophers, legal theorists and military historians. * Graham Elliott, Philosophy Now *
A definitive treatment of this subject matter. * Richard A. S. Hall, International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence *
The book is a magnificent achievement and deserves to be a classic in the fields of law, philosophy and international relations. * Youngjae Lee, Analysis *
ISBN: 9780198912170
Dimensions: 235mm x 155mm x 150mm
Weight: 404g
272 pages