Reprint of the sole edition of this translation. In this momentous work
Grotius describes the situations in which war is a valid tool of law
enforcement and outlines the principles of armed combat. Though based
on Christian natural law, Grotius advanced the novel argument that his
system would still be valid if it lacked a divine basis. In this regard he
pointed to the future by moving international law in a secular direction.
This edition was abridged by removing most of the quotations from
"ancient historians, orators, philosophers, and poets," which are identified
in footnotes. As Whewell states in the preface, they tended to "confuse the
subject, obscure the reasoning, and weary the reader." By removing them
he enhanced clarity and reduced the bulk of the work by "more than a
half" (vi).
Hugo Grotius [1583-1645], generally acknowledged as the founder
of international law, was an influential Dutch jurist, philosopher and
theologian. Originally published in 1625, De Jure Belli ac Pacis (On
the Law of War and Peace, translated by Whewell as On the Rights of
War and Peace) is widely considered to be the first modern treatise on
international law.
William Whewell [1794-1866] wrote on numerous subjects and is known
for the breadth of his endeavors, and his influence on the philosophy of
science. He was one of the founding members and an early president of
the British Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the
Royal Society, president of the Geological Society, and longtime Master of
Trinity College, Cambridge.
