This scholarly exploration examines the Islamic perspective on environmental stewardship, climate change, and ethical resource management through the lens of Shariah (Islamic Sacred Law). Grounded in the principles of Tawhid (divine unity), the article argues that Muslims have a fundamental religious obligation to protect the Earth and its resources as trustees or "Khalifa" (guardians). The text analyzes how Islamic ethical principles, particularly the Maqasid Shariah (higher objectives of sacred law), directly relate to contemporary environmental challenges, especially global warming and fossil fuel consumption.

The author emphasizes that the Islamic worldview inherently promotes ecological consciousness, viewing humans as stewards responsible for just and compassionate management of natural resources. By referencing Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions, the article advocates for fossil fuel divestment, renewable energy adoption, and sustainable development. It presents a compelling case that environmental protection is not merely a scientific or political imperative, but a profound spiritual and moral responsibility deeply rooted in Islamic teachings of mercy, justice, and interconnectedness.

The word “genocide” was coined by Raphael Lemkin – like Arendt, a refugee from the Nazis. Lemkin was convinced that the destruction of an entire people is a unique crime, over and above the mass destruction of the individuals who make up that people. His reason was that each people makes its own contribution to universal civilization. For Arendt, by contrast, there is no such thing as a universal civilization; what makes genocide unique is its attack on the diversity of peoples, which she calls a crime against the human status. This chapter begins by discussing Lemkin’s career and thought. It criticizes his “civilization” theory, and the critique sets the stage for discussing Arendt’s theory. One philosophical puzzle is that in The Human Condition, Arendt’s concept of plurality refers to the manyness of individuals, not of peoples or other groups. The chapter explains why the diversity of groups as well as individuals matters to Arendt.

In the absence of a targeted legal framework, the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary’s ‘Guidance for Judicial Office Holders’ remain the primary source of regulatory guidance determining how artificial intelligence (AI) ought to be appropriately used by the judiciary in the United Kingdom. This chapter critically reflects upon the content and effectiveness of these guidelines, ultimately concluding that more extensive – and legally binding – regulatory action is needed to ensure accurate and accountable judicial decision-making in the era of AI. The chapter first surveys general attitudes towards AI within the UK judiciary, before engaging directly with the technical foundations of AI and examples of its usage in administrative and judicial decision-making in the UK. It concludes with an analysis of the guidelines, following discussion of several key legal and constitutional issues that may arise where AI is deployed in judicial settings. Throughout this contribution, we caution that the regular use of AI to make decisions does not simply change the process of discrete procedures, but rather, challenge existing structures within the legal and political system at a broader level.

In a world grappling with pressing environmental challenges, the intersection of Islamic epistemologies and sustainable development models offers a unique perspective. This chapter book delves into Islamic perspectives on environmental ethics and sustainability, exploring the theological foundations, ethical principles, and practical implications of stewardship and trust in Islam. Drawing upon Quranic teachings and scholarly insights, it examines humanity’s role as stewards of the Earth, emphasizing responsible resource management, moderation, and justice. Rooted in concepts of Khilafah (stewardship) and Amanah (trust), Islamic environmental ethics highlight the ethical obligation to ensure sustainable resource use and protect the environment for future generations. Additionally, the concepts of moderation and justice, known as "Al-Wasatiyyah," offer guidance for achieving balance, equity, and harmony in all aspects of life, including environmental conservation. Through case studies and examples, this chapter book demonstrates how Islamic principles can inform environmental decision-making processes and contribute to holistic, sustainable development efforts. By integrating spiritual dimensions into environmental conservation practices, it advocates for a more comprehensive approach to addressing contemporary environmental challenges, fostering a harmonious relationship between humans and the natural world.

This chapter turns to the collapse of moral judgment Arendt saw in the early weeks of the Third Reich, and which she connects to the collapse of common sense and adherence to conspiracy theories in mass societies. The chapter draws on The Origins of Totalitarianism, coupled with contemporary “virtue epistemology” – the study of intellectual virtues and vices and their relation to knowledge. Arendt, I argue, is an exceptionally insightful virtue epistemologist. The chapter analyzes Arendt’s account of how European social conditions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to the collapse of common sense in the face of a barrage of political lies. She warns that “if everyone always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but that no one believes anything at all anymore.” The result is a dangerous mix of gullibility and cynicism, what in the chapter I label culpable credulousness.

The research for this chapter was undertaken on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. As is customary in the country in which I live and work, or so-called ‘Australia’ (see Watego, 2021), I acknowledge them as the traditional owners of country, as well as elders past and present. I acknowledge that sovereignty over these lands was never ceded, and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain strong in their enduring connections to land, sky, water and culture.

Chapter 14 examines how the rise of American philanthropic foundations – particularly the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) – shaped international law during the League of Nations era. Although the United States government remained formally outside most League institutions, American influence was felt as private organizations brought their considerable resources to bear on the development of the social sciences, including the discipline of international law. The chapter explores how the CEIP’s legal philanthropy sustained international law as a transnational professional practice linking League officials, judges, academics, and practitioners. Drawing on archival research from the League of Nations and the CEIP, as well as a dataset of roughly 25,000 individuals affiliated with League bodies and related NGOs, the chapter addresses several key questions: What strategy guided the Endowment’s funding decisions? How did this strategy interact with broader geopolitical dynamics, particularly the ambivalent US–League relationship? And how did recipients leverage foundation support to advance their own agendas? The chapter traces the CEIP’s project of replacing a militarized global regime with a rules-based international order administered by trained legal professionals but also offers insights into the structural impact of philanthropic funding on the sociological makeup of the legal profession in the League era.

This chapter focuses on the use of AI at sentencing. First, we note that AI can be used in different ways in the task of sentencing offenders. Second, the chapter considers when a ‘robot’ judge can be said to perform sufficiently well to replace a human judge. We argue that a plausible criterion for the assessment of the performance of a robot judge is contingent on penal ethical considerations and since these have not been sufficiently developed, we do not yet possess an applicable criterion for a comparison robot and human judges. Third, this conclusion also has implications for less radical applications of AI (such as the use of algorithms as sentencing advisory systems), for assessing competing types of AI models, and for carrying out post hoc evaluations of the performance of sentencing algorithms once they have been implemented.

Over the last two decades, new historical scholarship has greatly improved our knowledge and understanding of the history of the League of Nations beyond the old dichotomy of failure or success. Meanwhile, legal scholars are showing an increasing interest in the history of international law. Yet, a systematic account of the important role of international law in the League of Nations is lacking. Surveying the main state of the art, this introduction outlines how the Handbook aims move beyond these two separate strands. Moreover, it elaborates on its understanding of international law as the new ‘meta-language of global governance’, as well as on the methodological underpinnings the various chapters before briefly outlining the content of the Handbook.

The rise of the #MeToo movement has prompted a public reckoning with sexual consent, with public discourse now squarely focused on issues of sexual coercion and culpability. However, the principle of consent has a much longer history and wider significance beyond recent events. Bolstered by a social contract model that prioritises individual personhood and the protection of private property, consent has been central to the development of modern law and liberal societies (Munro, 2008). As feminist legal scholar Vanessa Munro argues, in Western legal settings, it ‘demarcate[s] the terrain between acceptable and unacceptable intrusions upon property / bodies’ (Munro, 2008, pp. 923–4) and accredits the liberal subject with its defining features of individuality, rationality and autonomy. In the specific context of sexual violence, consent is endowed with significant power (Hindes, 2022): it is used to arbitrate legal disputes over sexual assault and violence, and determine whether violation has occurred.

This project is a close study of the legal and political aspects of management of water resources in semi-arid environments. The British in India laid the foundations of the modern irrigation system in what is now India and Pakistan. In semi-arid environments, the bulk of agriculture relies on irrigation, as it did in Spain under the Moors. We can observe a stark divide in the use of laws and institutions to manage natural resources in different societies, at different times and places. Some societies have managed in a way that achieved prosperity and long-term sustainability. The Moors of Spain created a vibrant civilization in the Middle Ages that lasted nearly eight hundred years. One of the reasons for the dynamism of their civilization was their judicious management of water resources on which foundation they created a thriving agricultural economy that produced the economic surplus for their vibrant urban culture. Of particular interest is what I regard as the essence of Moorish water management: its management of scarcity by borrowing principles from the great cradles of civilization, Mesopotamia and the Nile, which built abundance in harsh environments, along with principles of use, reuse and justice as conceived of in the Quran.

Chapter 11 argues that the absence of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) in the Manchurian dispute case at the League of Nations in 1931–33 had a significant impact on the development of the international judicial system for interstate conflict resolution. It argues that the dispute contributed to the ‘decoupling’ of the judiciary process from the League’s collective security mechanism which it had tried to build in the 1920s and of which the PCIJ was an integral part. The Japanese foreign policy elite’s shifting understanding of international law and the League, this chapter argues, was critical in underpinning this development. These elites had understood international law largely as a set of inter-imperial agreements and saw the League and the PCIJ as operating according to this norm. This understanding remained persistent at the beginning of the Manchurian dispute, and led them to argue that the case should be submitted to the PCIJ. In the course of the Manchurian case at the League, however, they recognized that the dominant norm was shifting, which prompted them eventually to opt for extra-League, bilateral inter-imperial relations.