James Lorimer

The Institutes of the Law of Nations: a Treatise of the Jural Relations of Separate Political Communities (2 Vols.) James Lorimer

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.