The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Issues from Kant’s Ethical Perspective

Abstract

This study is an attempt to expose the lapses of the ethical underpinnings of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This study argues that the call through the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, for some countries to be banned from possessing nuclear technology, is unethical and biased. Based on Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy if at any time it was morally defensible for countries to own nuclear facilities and arsenals then the doors should still be left open for aspiring countries to possess same. If, however, it is bad to produce or own nuclear weapons, the ban should be universal. Whatever rhetoric is used against this truism falls short of Kant’s ethical standards.

Keywords: ethics, non-proliferation, nuclear, technology, treaty