Author: Patrick Taylor Smith (April 18, 2024 – JSTOR)
This paper explores the ethical concept of “dirty hands,” focusing on revolutionaries who violate moral principles through unilateral usurpation, hoping future benefits will justify their actions. It argues that once a revolution successfully improves the common good, the initial wrongdoing becomes less relevant in judging the new government’s legitimacy. The paper contends that only retroactive justification, where later success reinterprets the initial wrong, fully captures the moral complexities of revolutions.