Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- Note on the text
- Prologue to the three books On the Law of War and Peace
- Book I On the Law of War and Peace
- Book II On the Law of War and Peace
- 1 The causes of war: first, defence of self and property
- 2 Of things which belong to men in common
- 3 Of original acquisition of things, with special reference to the sea and rivers
- 4 On assumed abandonment of ownership and occupation consequent thereon; and wherein this differs from ownership by usucaption and by prescription
- 5 On the original acquisition of rights over persons. Herein are treated the rights of parents, marriage, associations, and the rights over subjects and slaves
- 6 On secondary acquisition of property by the act of man; also, alienation of sovereignty and of the attributes of sovereignty
- 7 On derivative acquisition of property which takes place in accordance with law; and herein, intestate succession
- 8 On acquisitions commonly said to be by the law of nations
- 9 When sovereignty or ownership ceases
- 10 On the obligation which arises from ownership
- 11 On promises
- 12 On contracts
- 13 On oaths
- 14 On promises, contracts, and oaths of those who hold sovereign power
- 15 On treaties and sponsions
- 16 On interpretation
- 17 On damage caused through injury, and the obligation arising therefrom
- 18 On the right of legation
- 19 On the right of sepulchre
- 20 On punishments
- 21 On the sharing of punishments
- 22 On unjust causes [of wars]
- 23 On doubtful causes of war
- 24 Warnings not to undertake war rashly, even for just causes
- 25 On the causes of undertaking war on behalf of others
- 26 On just causes for war waged by those who are under the rule of another
- Book III On the Law of War and Peace
- Appendix 1 Note 18 (p. 329): the text of Grotius's note
- Appendix 2 Alternative outline
- Further reading
- Index of names
- Subject index
22 - On unjust causes [of wars]
from Book II - On the Law of War and Peace
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2013
Edited by
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- Note on the text
- Prologue to the three books On the Law of War and Peace
- Book I On the Law of War and Peace
- Book II On the Law of War and Peace
- 1 The causes of war: first, defence of self and property
- 2 Of things which belong to men in common
- 3 Of original acquisition of things, with special reference to the sea and rivers
- 4 On assumed abandonment of ownership and occupation consequent thereon; and wherein this differs from ownership by usucaption and by prescription
- 5 On the original acquisition of rights over persons. Herein are treated the rights of parents, marriage, associations, and the rights over subjects and slaves
- 6 On secondary acquisition of property by the act of man; also, alienation of sovereignty and of the attributes of sovereignty
- 7 On derivative acquisition of property which takes place in accordance with law; and herein, intestate succession
- 8 On acquisitions commonly said to be by the law of nations
- 9 When sovereignty or ownership ceases
- 10 On the obligation which arises from ownership
- 11 On promises
- 12 On contracts
- 13 On oaths
- 14 On promises, contracts, and oaths of those who hold sovereign power
- 15 On treaties and sponsions
- 16 On interpretation
- 17 On damage caused through injury, and the obligation arising therefrom
- 18 On the right of legation
- 19 On the right of sepulchre
- 20 On punishments
- 21 On the sharing of punishments
- 22 On unjust causes [of wars]
- 23 On doubtful causes of war
- 24 Warnings not to undertake war rashly, even for just causes
- 25 On the causes of undertaking war on behalf of others
- 26 On just causes for war waged by those who are under the rule of another
- Book III On the Law of War and Peace
- Appendix 1 Note 18 (p. 329): the text of Grotius's note
- Appendix 2 Alternative outline
- Further reading
- Index of names
- Subject index
Summary
The distinction between justifiable and persuasive causes of wars
We said above, when we set out to treat the causes of wars, that some were justifiable, others persuasive.
Wars which lack causes of either sort
There are some who rush into war without a cause of either sort.
Wars which have persuasive but not justifying causes
In most cases, those who go to war have persuasive causes, either with or without justifiable causes. There are some indeed who clearly ignore justifiable causes. To these, we may apply the dictum uttered by the Roman jurists, that the man is a robber who, when asked the origin of his possession, adduces none other than the fact of possession.
Causes which present a false appearance of justice
Others allege causes which they claim to be justifiable, but which, when examined in the light of right reason,are found to be unjust. … Now causes which are unjust may, up to a certain point, be recognised from the foregoing discussion of just causes. What is straight is in fact a guide to what is crooked. For the sake of clearness, however, we proceed to mention the principal kinds of unjust causes.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Hugo Grotius on the Law of War and PeaceStudent Edition, pp. 301 - 306Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this chapter is currently unknown
and may be updated in the future.