Full Idea
When soldiers are commanded to fight, they cannot reasonably be expected to have the factual knowledge necessary to evaluate the war as just or unjust.
Gist of Idea
Soldiers cannot know enough facts to evaluate the justice of their war
Source
Jeff McMahan (Killing in War [2009], 2.3)
Book Reference
McMahan,Jeff: 'Killing in War' [OUP 2009], p.61
A Reaction
This is part of the 'epistemic' justification for a soldier to fight in an unjust war. Sometimes soldiers do have enoough knowledge, especially if they join up late on in a war, when they have studied and observed its progress.