💥Was the Bombing Dresden Ethically Justified? ✈️ Christopher Hitchens and A.C. Grayling Debate

Subscribe to RFM for more witty and thought-provoking clips on religion, politics, atheism, and philosophy ✨

To support our cause, and get exclusive perks, join as a member:    / @reasonfirstmedia  
Your support makes our channel possible, and your contribution directly promotes freethinking, curiosity, honesty, and intellectual courage!

Christopher Hitchens and A.C. Grayling confront one of the most controversial moral questions of the Second World War: was the Allied bombing of Dresden ethical, necessary, or justified? In this debate, two of Britain’s most prominent public intellectuals examine the morality of total war, civilian casualties, and the limits of ethical reasoning during extreme historical circumstances.

The bombing of Dresden in February 1945 has long been cited as an example of wartime excess, with tens of thousands of civilians killed as the city was engulfed in firebombing. In this exchange, Hitchens and Grayling approach the event from sharply different philosophical perspectives. Hitchens situates Dresden within the broader context of Nazi aggression, total war, and the realities faced by Allied decision makers near the end of the conflict. He challenges what he sees as moral hindsight and selective outrage, arguing that historical judgment must account for intent, context, and responsibility.

A.C. Grayling, by contrast, approaches the bombing through the lens of moral philosophy and just war theory, questioning whether the deliberate destruction of a civilian city can ever be ethically defended, regardless of strategic context. The debate raises fundamental questions about proportionality, necessity, collective guilt, and whether moral rules can or should bend under existential threat.

Throughout the discussion, larger themes emerge, including the ethics of aerial warfare, the moral status of civilians in war, and the dangers of applying absolute moral judgments to historically contingent decisions. Hitchens presses the argument that the Nazi regime created the conditions in which such actions became possible, while Grayling insists that moral responsibility does not disappear even in the face of monstrous evil.

This debate is not only about Dresden, but about how societies remember war, assign blame, and attempt to reconcile moral philosophy with historical reality. It forces viewers to confront uncomfortable questions about victory, justice, and whether moral clarity is possible in modern warfare.

If you are interested in Christopher Hitchens debates, A.C. Grayling philosophy, the bombing of Dresden, World War II ethics, just war theory, moral philosophy, history and morality, or the ethics of civilian bombing, this video offers a serious and intellectually rigorous examination of one of the most disputed events of the twentieth century. most influential critics of religion and god belief in modern public debate.

#christopherhitchens #ww2 #bombing