Selective Objection to War

The problem of conscientious objection to particular wars agitates thoughtful Americans as never before. In its report to the President, the National Advisory Commission on Selective Service unanimously sustained the present system of granting exemptions to absolute pacifists, but by majority vote overruled proposals to exempt selective conscientious objectors. My aim is to show that neither in logic nor morality is there a basis for this judgment. Either legal exemption ought to be widened to embrace all who conscientiously oppose killing in a given war, or the legal right ought to be abolished altogether.

This conclusion will not satisfy those who, like myself, believe that all conscientious objectors ought to be exempted. Thoug...