What is a crime against humanity and when should it be investigated? What does 'human rights' mean? Is law the new religion and are its high priests, the lawyers, really all bad? What is the role of the law in the regulation of sexual behaviour? Are there limits to what we can reasonably expect from international war crimes tribunals?
These and many other crucial questions are explored with wit, panache and consummate even-handedness by Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC, in the series of lectures he delivered as Gresham Professor of Law from 2012 to 2016. Drawing on events from every continent and every period in history, from ancient Babylon to Britain on the brink of Brexit; and referencing icons from Cicero to Socrates, Bertrand Russell to Jean-Paul Sartre, and Joan Baez to Muhammad Ali, Sir Geoffrey applies his own wealth of experience to moral problems which are as pressing in today's anxious world as they ever have been. The book is due to be launched at Gresham College, 18 October 2017.