This volume investigates the moral and legal frameworks of proportionality and necessity as the primary mechanisms for limiting the human costs of modern warfare. The editors, Claire Oakes Finkelstein, Larry May, and Jens David Ohlin, curate a collection of interdisciplinary essays that bridge the gap between legal theory and moral philosophy. By examining the inherent difficulties in calculating the value of lives during armed conflict, the authors provide a rigorous analysis of how current international law attempts to restrain the destructive potential of war.

Experts in international law and ethics frequently cite this collection as a significant contribution to the discourse on jus in bello. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for scholars and practitioners familiar with legal and philosophical terminology.