Routledge Justice and Morality: Human Suffering, Natural Law and International Politics (Ethics and Global Politics)

Bridging the contending theories of natural law and international relations, this book proposes a 'relational ontology' as the basis for rethinking our approach to international politics. Amanda Beattie challenges both the conventional interpretation of natural law as necessarily and intractably theological, and the dominant conception of international relations as structurally distinct from the ends of human good, in order to recover the centrality of other-directed agency to the promotion of human development. Offering an important contribution to the study of international political thought, the book contains a number of challenging and controversial ideas which should provoke constructive debate within international relations theory, political theory, and philosophical ethics. Review 'Amanda Beattie’s first concern is human suffering. Methodically drawing on "the new natural law" and many other sources, she develops ’an account of moral agency’, "a casuistry of care", "a discourse of hope" to change the way we think about ourselves, our relations with others, and the practice of international politics.' Nicholas Onuf, Florida International University and University of Southern California, USA About the Author Dr Amanda Russell Beattie, Lecturer, Aston University, School of Languages and Social Sciences, Politics & International Relations, UK