[fantasyfan]

I am impressed by the skill with which Hemming ties in philosophical and moral elements into his historical approach.

I mentioned how he shows that there was also a far more humane attitude concernnig the treatment of the Incas in Spain at the time. In Chapter 14 he discusses the influence of "the saintly fanatic Las Casas" who poured out "provactive treatises until his death in 1566." His most influential book A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies is described as an "extraordinary example of enlightened morality" and was translated into several languages.

Another major "moral thinker" was Francisco de Vitoria who was the first to state that "Neither pope nor emperor was temporal ruler of the whole world." Hemming states that this great thinker who defended the rights of the Incas to be treated as equals "is now acknowledged as a founder of international law."

In developing these points, Hemming is deepening his thesis and dramatising how these events link into a wider relevant context--both moral and historical. I feel that this adds a profundity to his book which sets it apart from other well-written--but perhaps less visionary approaches to History.