About this ebook
Originally published: Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1883, 1884. Two vols. xviii, 449; xx, 620 pp. Critical of utilitarianism, Lorimer proposed a system of public international law based on the law of nature. It is most notable, however, for its elitism, racism and support of colonialism. Since he believed in a hierarchy of nations based on cultural attainment, he rejected the principle of comity in international relations as a sufficient basis for international law. He used this point to defend the right of "civilized" nations to ignore the sovereignty of their "primitive" counterparts. Influential in Europe, this treatise offered a sophisticated argument that stoked the ambitions of continental imperialists. James Lorimer [1818-1890] was Regius Professor of Public Law at the University of Edinburgh and a founder of the Institute of International Law.
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