Just War in Political Thought: From Cicero to Grotius

English (OpenAlex)

The concept of just war rises on a "just war" doctrine, which has important historical moments, developed on the "justification potential" of war. A better understanding of the just war theory is possible by examining these historical intellectual foundations. For this purpose, this study starts from the ideas of Cicero, who is accepted as one of the most important intellectual premises of the just war theory, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, and then the views of Vitoria and Grotius, who represent the transition of this concept to the modern period, on just war will be examined. In the last part, the current intellectual and practical problems related to the concept and the extent reached by the relevant concept will be discussed roughly. In this context, it is thought that examining the periodic intellectual contributions made to the just war theory in the historical process will also provide a healthier evaluation of today's discussions about the concept and the content of the theory.