Igor Primoratz Books

The book offers a comprehensive examination of the ethical, legal, and political challenges faced in protecting civilians during modern conflicts. It features contributions from leading scholars in political science, law, and philosophy, who analyze current practices and propose improvements. The focus is on enhancing soldiers' awareness of their responsibilities under international law and the ethics of war, equipping them to effectively address the complexities they encounter in the field.

Engaging with a range of interconnected and highly topical issues of identity, self-determination and secession, this book examines the import and implications of 'identity claims', and looks into 'identity politics' motivated by such claims, which is becoming ever more salient in democratic and culturally and ethnically heterogeneous states.

In this first interdisciplinary study of this contentious subject, leading experts in politics, history, and philosophy examine the complex aspects of the terror bombing of German cities during World War II. The contributors address the decision to embark on the bombing campaign, the moral issues raised by the bombing, and the main stages of the campaign and its effects on German civilians as well as on Germany’s war effort. The book places the bombing campaign within the context of the history of air warfare, presenting the bombing as the first stage of the particular type of state terrorism that led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and brought about the Cold War era “balance of terror.” In doing so, it makes an important contribution to current debates about terrorism. It also analyzes the public debate in Germany about the historical, moral, and political significance of the deliberate killing of up to 600,000 German civilians by the British and American air forces. This pioneering collaboration provides a platform for a wide range of views―some of which are controversial―on a highly topical, painful, and morally challenging subject.

Exploring the resurgence of patriotism, this collection of essays by philosophers and political theorists delves into various conceptual, moral, and political questions. It highlights the distinctions and commonalities between patriotism and nationalism, while also examining proposals, such as those by Habermas, that advocate for separating the two concepts.

Focusing on the philosophy of punishment, this study advocates for a purely retributive approach, challenging the prevailing utilitarian and mixed theories. It emphasizes justice and desert as the core principles guiding punishment, drawing on Hegelian perspectives while remaining rooted in analytic tradition. The work addresses key questions in punishment theory, arguing against any compromises for social expediency to uphold a strict moral framework.

This book offers a thorough examination of the philosophical questions surrounding terrorism, addressing its definition, moral implications, and justification. Igor Primoratz critiques relativism and explores various ethical perspectives, ultimately arguing that terrorism is nearly always wrong, with limited exceptions. It includes case studies for deeper understanding.

Focusing on the moral implications of human sexuality, this work systematically explores the nature of sexual ethics and addresses key issues in sexual morality. It delves into the complexities surrounding sexual behavior, offering insights into the ethical considerations that shape our understanding of sexuality.