War, Peter Temes writes, is always wrong but sometimes necessary. With that principle at its center, "The Just Waroffers a critical history of Just War thinking, beginning with ancient epics and extending through American responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11. More than a challenging new appraisal of Just War's history, Mr. Temes's book proposes a radically new vision of Just War thinking, one that respects the received tradition but takes account of the moral experience of today's world. He sees the Gulf War, the turmoil of Yugoslavia, Israel's Occupied Territories, and questions about Iraq and the "war on terror" as moral challenges that cannot be easily resolved but must nevertheless be addressed. Looking closely at the history of Islam, the philosophy of Jihad, Christian thought, the experience of the Crusades, and the Hebrew Bible's teachings about war, he considers their lessons with our modern experience in mind. His clear descriptions of the writings of European thinkers on war, including Rousseau, Kant, and Hegel, are focused on the meanings these ideas must have for us today. And Mr. Temes speaks directly to the central moral questions about war, arriving at the core principles of a Just War philosophy for our time: that it acknowledges the preciousness and value of all human life; that it is a war about the future and not about the past; and that it strengthens the rights of individuals.

Temes (Antioch New England Graduate School) presents material he used for courses on the moral principles of war that he taught at Harvard and the University of Chicago. He combines a tour of history about ideas of just war, with a personal meditation trying to connect those ideas with today's world. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A critical history of Just War thinking, beginning with ancient epics and extending through American responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11. Mr. Temes's book proposes a radically new vision, one that respects the received tradition but takes account of the moral experience of the world today.

War, Peter Temes writes, is always wrong but sometimes necessary. With that principle at its center, this book offers a critical history of Just War thinking, beginning with ancient epics and extending through American responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11.