Global Justice Taster Day – “Human Rights”

Alasdair Cochrane, Department of Politics, University of Sheffield

4th October 2013

1. Overview of Talk A brief introduction to human rights

What are they? What role do they play in international and

domestic politics? The main controversies surrounding

human rights Foundationalism Universalism

Over to you to resolve!

2. What are human rights? Definition is contested!

But agreement on fact they have a LEGAL and a MORAL element.

So LEGALLY, they are those things that can be found in Bills, Constitutions, and International Treaties...

2. What are human rights? Human rights as

legal rights• Example 1:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

2. What are human rights? Human rights as

legal rights.• Example 2:

The European Convention of Human Rights (1953)

2. What are human rights? Human rights as

legal rights• Example 3:

The Human Rights Act (1998)

2. What are human rights? But what about

those who live in states without these legal protections?

They too have human rights – in the moral sense.

They ought to enjoy those protections.

3. Controversies in human rights

So there is an important moral idea behind human rights too:

ALL humans possess certain rights simply in virtue of BEING HUMAN.

This is a universalistic claim; and a foundational one. Both are controversial!

3. Controversies in human rights

1. Foundationalism:

• Why do all human beings possess these basic rights?

• What is it about human beings that gives them these rights?

• What ‘factor x’ do human beings possess which means they merit these special protections (while other creatures do not)?

3. Controversies in human rights

2. Universalism:

Coming round is a summary of the UDHR.

Should every human on Earth enjoy each and every one of these rights?

Make an argument that they should NOT.

4. In summary Issues like human rights are

controversial and contested. This does NOT mean that all positions

are equally valid and we should give up debating them. They are too important for that.

Rather, these issues are complex – and so we need to understand them closely to take the most reasonable positions we can.