Playing at Ethics: Military Ethics Education Playing Cards

Ray Kimball

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Playing cards have an extensive association with the U.S. Armed Forces. Purpose-built decks of cards made to alleviate boredom in the U.S. Civil and Spanish-American wars gave way to more ingenious applications in the Second World War and Vietnam.[1] More recently, playing cards have been used as shorthand for the most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein’s regime and to educate troops about cultural preservation.[2] The King’s College London Centre for Military Ethics (KCME) Military Ethics Education Playing Cards Deck, hereafter referenced as “the Deck,” is the latest worthy entry in that genre. The Deck as designed works very well for individual and small group reflections; this article will also propose three adaptations for using the deck in larger groups.