Humanitarian Ethics: A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster

Slim (senior research fellow, Oxford Inst. for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Univ. of Oxford; Killing Civilians) seeks to provide a handbook on operating ethically for humanitarian aid workers. He splits the book into three sections: the first two have a theoretical basis and concentrate on the philosophical foundations and principles of humanitarianism, while the last section is more practical and explores how to practice humanitarian principles, both individually and organizationally, within the charged situations in which humanitarian aid workers operate. Throughout it all, however, Slim seeks to synthesize the various writings on ethics and apply it to the special circumstances associated with humanitarianism. He also seeks to confront the moral dilemmas, critiques, and issues found within the practice in order to elucidate how they should be treated and why they exist.