In the Television Series the Americans, Set in the 1980s

question 1065

Multiple Choice

In the television series The Americans, set in the 1980s, Soviet spies sometimes murder American civilians who work for companies that produce weapons for the U.S. military. Which of the following would McMahan's criterion of responsibility entail about these murders?

• A) Because the victims were civilians who posed no direct threat to the spies or the Soviet Union in general, the spies were morally wrong to kill them.
• B) Because the civilians were active participants in an effort that created a serious threat to the Soviet Union, the spies were justified in killing them.
• C) If the U.S. military had posed an unjust threat to the Soviet Union, and assuming that the victims were responsible for their choice of jobs, then the spies would have been justified in killing them.
• D) Because the traditional requirement of discrimination is untenable, the fact that the victims were civilians is irrelevant, and it was permissible for the spies to kill them.

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