This paper provides a framework to make moral sense of terrorism. The framework consists in a test, referred to as the MODAL test, which is an acronym standing for five tests or principles for determining the moral defensibility or indefensibility of terrorism. The five principles concern the motives for terrorism, its objectives, destructiveness, availability of alternatives, and likelihood of success. This approach makes it conceivable but highly unlikely in practice that a terrorist act is morally justified. The MODAL test does not claim to be an exhaustive framework for analysing the moral legitimacy or illegitimacy of terrorism but rather a practical analytical tool aimed at securing a reliable grasp of the tricky question of the relation between morality and terrorism.

本文提供了一个框架来理解恐怖主义的道德意义。该框架包含一项称为 MODAL 测试的测试，它是确定恐怖主义道德辩护或不辩护的五项测试或原则的缩写。五项原则涉及恐怖主义的动机、目标、破坏性、替代方案的可用性以及成功的可能性。这种方法使得恐怖主义行为在道德上是正当的是可以想象的，但在实践中极不可能。MODAL 测试并不声称是分析恐怖主义道德合法性或非法性的详尽框架，而是一个实用的分析工具，旨在确保可靠地掌握道德与恐怖主义之间关系的棘手问题。