Recent years have seen an upsurge of interest among moral philosophers in questions of international distribution and the relationship between rich and poor countries. Efforts are being made, in the first place, to replace the prevalent image of international relations as a Hobbesian 'state of nature' with a model in which more room is left for moral choice. In the second place, the foundation, content and limits of our obligations to join in the combat of poverty are put under scrutiny. The essay discusses some of the problems raised by this application of normative theory to issues which in many ways are ill-suited for moral theorizing.
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References
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(The books under review are listed at the outset of the essay.)
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