Human Rights

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the theory of human rights has broadened in concept over the centuries; its contemporary form includes securing for individuals the necessary economic, political and social conditions required to lead a minimally good life regardless of their caste, color, nationality, religion or gender. The author points out that, despite some objections raised mostly by people with vested interests to the doctrine of human rights, most people around the world are in agreement that human rights should not only be respected but also be promoted actively. The paper relates that frequent human rights violations are still taking place around the world, as witnessed in Darfur (Sudan) and Abu Gharib (Iraq).

Table of Contents
Historical Origins and Development
Three Generations of Human Rights and its Current Concept
Objections to Human Rights & Their Rebuttal
The Moral Relativists' Argument
Do Human Rights Intrude on State Sovereignty?
Religious Objections
What are the Consequences of Disregarding Human Rights?
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The theory of human rights is based on the doctrine of "moral universalism" first put forward by Aristotle and Stoics. In "Nicomachean Ethics," Aristotle presents his argument in support of the existence of "a natural moral order" and opines that such a "natural" order should be the basis for all truly rational systems of justice. This concept of moral universalism implies that morality is not dependant on social and historical conditions and applies to all human beings regardless of place and time, and forms the basis of human rights. Roman Stoic philosophers such as Cicero and Seneca, also supported 'moral universalism' and argued that all moral laws originated in the rational will of God and the authority of such moral law transcended all local legal codes. Christianity, which emerged later, maintained the belief of a universal moral code in the ensuing centuries."

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• Term Paper # 57846 : "Human Rights in China: A Misnomer?"
• Research Paper # 57471 : "Human Rights Violations in the U.S.A."
• Term Paper # 114172 : "Human Rights and International Relations"
• Persuasive Essay # 134050 : "Should Human Rights Be Practiced Around the Globe?"

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