Moral Analysis of the Conscription from the Perspective of Duty and Consequential Theories

The military service in Iran has been defined as conscription and has been a controversial situation over the past many years. Analysis of this issue, as well as other social issues, cannot go without its proper understanding; therefore, the precise definition of the problem is a major step in its solution. The analysis of the disputes and arguments of the adversaries and opponents from the perspective of the two important theories of normative ethics (duty and consequential) allows us to clarify the scope of issue and the normative foundations of this difference. The findings of this interdisciplinary article indicate that both the supporters and the opponents benefit from both a consequential and duty basis to justify their agreement and opposition. Although in the arguments, the principle of existence of conscription is also seen as a disagreement among the stakeholders, but the major differences are in the equivalence compulsory-public-order manner of military service. A cheap labor force against the exploitation of the labor force, equitable justice against the rejection of free choice and disregard for the difference in talents, equal universal service against economic and security inefficiencies, and, ultimately, equal universal service against the employment and marriage of youth are major positions of disputes between advocates and opponents of the military service policy. These positions are agendas for research, intervention design, debates and decision.