Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World by Grace Y. Kao, Georgetown University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Grace Y. Kao ISBN: 9781589017603
Publisher: Georgetown University Press Publication: March 16, 2011
Imprint: Georgetown University Press Language: English
Author: Grace Y. Kao
ISBN: 9781589017603
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Publication: March 16, 2011
Imprint: Georgetown University Press
Language: English

In 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which declared that every human being, without “distinction of any kind,” possesses a set of morally authoritative rights and fundamental freedoms that ought to be socially guaranteed. Since that time, human rights have arguably become the cross-cultural moral concept and evaluative tool to measure the performance—and even legitimacy—of domestic regimes. Yet questions remain that challenge their universal validity and theoretical bases.

Some theorists are ”maximalist” in their insistence that human rights must be grounded religiously, while an opposing camp attempts to justify these rights in “minimalist” fashion without any necessary recourse to religion, metaphysics, or essentialism. In Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World, Grace Kao critically examines the strengths and weaknesses of these contending interpretations while also exploring the political liberalism of John Rawls and the Capability Approach as proposed by economist Amartya Sen and philosopher Martha Nussbaum.

By retrieving insights from a variety of approaches, Kao defends an account of human rights that straddles the minimalist–maximalist divide, one that links human rights to a conception of our common humanity and to the notion that ethical realism gives the most satisfying account of our commitment to the equal moral worth of all human beings.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which declared that every human being, without “distinction of any kind,” possesses a set of morally authoritative rights and fundamental freedoms that ought to be socially guaranteed. Since that time, human rights have arguably become the cross-cultural moral concept and evaluative tool to measure the performance—and even legitimacy—of domestic regimes. Yet questions remain that challenge their universal validity and theoretical bases.

Some theorists are ”maximalist” in their insistence that human rights must be grounded religiously, while an opposing camp attempts to justify these rights in “minimalist” fashion without any necessary recourse to religion, metaphysics, or essentialism. In Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World, Grace Kao critically examines the strengths and weaknesses of these contending interpretations while also exploring the political liberalism of John Rawls and the Capability Approach as proposed by economist Amartya Sen and philosopher Martha Nussbaum.

By retrieving insights from a variety of approaches, Kao defends an account of human rights that straddles the minimalist–maximalist divide, one that links human rights to a conception of our common humanity and to the notion that ethical realism gives the most satisfying account of our commitment to the equal moral worth of all human beings.

More books from Georgetown University Press

Cover of the book Vying for Allah’s Vote by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Qatar by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book The Usage-based Study of Language Learning and Multilingualism by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Medicaid Politics by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Boundaries by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Prayer by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Aquinas on the Emotions by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Middle Powers and the Rise of China by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book The Founders, the Constitution, and Public Administration by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Assessing War by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Managing Disasters through Public–Private Partnerships by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Meeting China Halfway by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Conflict and Cooperation in the Global Commons by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Let Them Go Free by Grace Y. Kao
Cover of the book Mexico's Illicit Drug Networks and the State Reaction by Grace Y. Kao
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy