Chapter 1 begins with a selective history of Christian–Hellenic intellectual engagement (including a detailed introduction to Julian and Cyril) in order to show simultaneously (1) the historical uniqueness (thus significance) of Julian’s and Cyril’s polemical projects and (2) the fitness of Alasdair MacIntyre’s insights for making sense of their engagement. The second half of the chapter presents MacIntyre’s analysis of the dynamics when “two large-scale systems of thought and practice are in radical disagreement,” with Julian and Cyril in mind. What I call “narrative conflict” is only one part of the theory that emerges from his argument, the complete scope of which pushes us also to consider whether traditions so engaged might have non-intersecting forms of reasoning. The chapter concludes with a brief consideration of what Julian’s and Cyril’s “narrative conflict” might contribute to how we think about religious and philosophical argument in late antiquity.

In The Slave, Grace (1827), William Scott, Lord Stowell, Chief Justice of the High Court of Admiralty, ruled that although Grace James, an enslaved Antiguan woman, had been free during her 1822–23 residence in England with the family she served, she reverted to her enslaved status after returning to Antigua. This chapter examines James’s efforts to obtain her freedom by surrendering herself to Antigua customs officers as contraband under the slave trade abolition statutes. It considers how her claims were contested in the Antigua courts and supported by abolitionist lawyers in London. The chapter also shows how satirical newspaper editorials in response to Stowell’s ruling undermined the legitimacy of slavery. It concludes by examining how Mary Prince, who was effectively exiled in London by Stowell’s ruling, likewise used satire and knowing irony in The History of Mary Prince (1831) to expose the inconsistencies and contradictions of the law of slavery and freedom in the British Empire.

Chapter 9 analyzes the global management of fishery resources, deep-seabed resources and marine genetic resources. The ongoing enclosure of fishery resources has been largely exclusionary. Regional fisheries organizations that have been established to manage such resources are not always welcoming of new entrants, which remain discontented with the increasing appropriation of the high seas by coastal states. Deep-seabed resources and marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction have been declared the common heritage of humankind and, thus, cannot be subject to appropriation by any state. The International Seabed Authority is about to issue the first exploitation regulations for the extraction of metals and minerals from the deep seabed. This exploitation is, however, in conflict with the protection and utilization of marine genetic resources and is very likely to drastically alter and pollute the fragile environment of the deep seabed. While environmentalists have called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, small island states are keen on such mining. They expect that the metals and minerals extracted from the deep seabed, which are used for the green energy transition, will bring them windfalls.

The book concludes by pointing out two major shifts that my reading of the Shepherd produces: one focused on how the centrality of slavery in the Shepherd that complicates earlier treatments of the text as most invested in baptism and/or repentance, and the other focused on the ethical and historical anxieties that emerge from the enslaved–enslaver relationship being so deeply embedded in early Christian literature, ethics, and subject formation. Additionally, I point to how my findings reveal why the Shepherd would be appealing to late ancient Christians: its visionary, dialogical, parabolic, and ethical content are aimed toward crafting obedient enslaved believers who were unified in their ecclesiastical vision. The work of feminist, womanist, Africana, and slavery studies scholars offer an intellectual and ethical scaffolding upon which I contend with the centrality in early Christian thought of God as an enslaver and believers as enslaved persons, as well as the continuations and challenges of the embeddedness of slavery in Christian vocabulary into the twenty-first century.

Chapter 6 contains a case study in which we sketch how the normative framework set out in part A of the book, can be used as a basis for arguments that can be made in relation to the ongoing ICJ advisory opinion on climate change. It argues that the court should interpret international rules in a manner which furthers justice including intergenerational justice. This is essential for maintaining the court’s legitimacy, which must include its future legitimacy. The court should flesh out the principle of intergenerational equity by defining it in terms which require states to take climate action to ensure protection of the human rights of future generations necessary for them to lead a decent life. In addition, the normative framework is used to argue for: (i) an particular interpretation of the no harm rule to incorporate harm towards future generations and (ii) reform of the procedural rules of the ICJ so as to allow NGOs and scientists to make amicus curiae submissions (directly or implicitly) on behalf of future generations in proceedings before the court.

Chapter 1 lays the groundwork for the subsequent legal analysis. Following the fundamentals, the chapter highlights ongoing global policy discussions and initial regulatory efforts, with particular emphasis on the latest developments within international organisations such as UNESCO, the OECD, the Council of Europe, and the EU. It also addresses relevant legal scholarship, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the evolving regulatory debate surrounding these technologies.

This chapter examines how copyright reversion mechanisms developed in US copyright law. It traces the history of such provisions to its present day iteration (an inalienable right for creators to terminate copyright grants after around 35 years). As with the study of British reversionary rights, the chapter highlights how the US provisions have often been rendered ineffective through the behaviour of rightsholders (both before and after reversion mechanisms have been passed). It focuses on how the current termination scheme operates, highlighting its considerable problems: for example, uncertainty over whether sound recordings are covered, and the sheer difficulty of meeting the formalities necessary to exercise the statutory rights.