Editing Hugo Grotius (section)

==Influence of Grotius==
Grotius designed his theory to apply not only to states but also to rulers and subjects of law in general. Grotius's masterpiece ''De Jure Belli ac Pacis'' thus proved useful in the later development of theories of both private and criminal law.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hugo Grotius - Later life {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hugo-Grotius/Later-life |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== From his time to the end of the 17th century ===
The king of Sweden, [[Gustavus Adolphus]], was said to have always carried a copy of ''De jure belli ac pacis'' in his saddle when leading his troops.{{sfn|Miller|2014|p=25}} In contrast, [[King James VI and I]] of Great Britain reacted very negatively to Grotius' presentation of the book during a diplomatic mission.{{sfn | Miller | 2014 | p = 25}}

Some philosophers, notably Protestants such as [[Pierre Bayle]], [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]] and the main representatives of the Scottish Enlightenment [[Francis Hutcheson (philosopher)|Francis Hutcheson]], [[Adam Smith]], [[David Hume]], [[Thomas Reid]] held him in high esteem.{{sfn | Miller | 2014 | p = 25}} The French Enlightenment, on the other hand, was much more critical. [[Voltaire]] called it boring and [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]] developed an alternative conception of human nature. [[Pufendorf]], another theoretician of the natural law concept, was also skeptical.{{sfn | Miller | 2014 | p = 25}}

===Commentaries of the 18th century===
[[Andrew Dickson White]] wrote:

<blockquote>
Into the very midst of all this welter of evil, at a point in time to all appearance hopeless, at a point in space apparently defenseless, in a nation of which every man, woman, and child was under sentence of death from its sovereign, was born a man who wrought as no other has ever done for the redemption of civilization from the main cause of all that misery; who thought out for Europe the precepts of right reason in international law; who made them heard; who gave a noble change to the course of human affairs; whose thoughts, reasonings, suggestions, and appeals produced an environment in which came an evolution of humanity that still continues.{{sfn|White|1910}}
</blockquote>

In contrast, [[Robert A. Heinlein]] satirized the Grotian [[governmental theory of atonement|governmental]] approach to theology in ''[[Methuselah's Children]]'': "There is an old, old story about a theologian who was asked to reconcile the [[doctrine]] of [[Divine Mercy]] with the doctrine of [[original sin|infant damnation]]. 'The Almighty,' he explained, 'finds it [[predeterminism|necessary]] to do things in His official and public capacity which in His private and personal capacity He deplores.'"{{sfn|Heinlein|1958|p = 324}}

=== Revival of interest in the 20th century ===
The influence of Grotius declined following the rise of [[positivism]] in the field of international law and the decline of natural law in philosophy.{{sfn|Forde|1998|p=639}} The [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|Carnegie Foundation]] has nevertheless re-issued and re-translated ''On the Law of War and Peace'' after the [[World War I]].{{sfn|Acton Institute|2010}} At the end of the 20th century, his work aroused renewed interest as a controversy over the originality of his ethical work developed. For Irwing, Grotius would only repeat the contributions of [[Thomas Aquinas]] and [[Francisco Suárez]].{{sfn | Irving | 2008}} On the contrary, Schneewind argues that Grotius introduced the idea that "the conflict can not be eradicated and could not be dismissed, even in principle, by the most comprehensive metaphysical knowledge possible of how the world is made up".{{sfn | Schneewind | 1993}}{{sfn | Miller | 2014 | p = 25}}

As far as politics is concerned, Grotius is most often considered not so much as having brought new ideas but rather as one who has introduced a new way of approaching political problems. For Kingsbury and Roberts, "the most important direct contribution of ["On the Law of War and Peace"] lies in the way it systematically brings together practices and authorities on the traditional but fundamental subject of ''jus belli'', which he organizes for the first time from a body of principles rooted in the law of nature."{{sfn | Bull | Roberts | Kingsbury | 2003 | loc = Introduction}}{{sfn | Miller | 2014 | p = 24}}

The ''Grotiana Foundation'' seeks through its journal, ''Grotiana'', to advance "the Grotian tradition".<ref>Grotiana Foundation, [https://brill.com/view/journals/grot/grot-overview.xml Grotiana: A Journal published under the auspices of the Grotiana Foundation], ''Brill'', accessed on 6 May 2025</ref>