Contributions of the Inductive Method to the Teaching of Military Ethics

The ethical training of military forces is essential for democracy as it guides respect for human rights, observance of the laws of war, and protection of institutional legitimacy. For this reason, military ethics has become a crucial tool to guide the behavior of the military in complex environments and ensure responsible decision-making. In this context, this article evaluates the impact of the Basic Concepts in Military Ethics course and its inductive approach on the attitudes and behaviors of Colombian military personnel. Using a quantitative methodology, a study was conducted with 230 course participants at the General Rafael Reyes Prieto Higher War School in Colombia to measure attitudes about military ethics, rules of engagement, and operational effectiveness. The main results identified that the course positively impacted the participants’ attitudes about the importance of military ethics, its contribution to unit cohesion, and its influence on responsible decision-making. It is concluded that training in military ethics, through innovative methods such as inductive, prepares the military to face the challenges of today’s world and responsibly fulfill their mission.