The Philosophy of Human Rights: Readings in Context brings together an extensive collection of classical and contemporary writings on the topic of human rights, providing an exceptionally comprehensive introduction to the subject. It places special emphasis on the historical development of theories of human rights, and includes western and nonwestern views. Sources include authors such as Aristotle, Cicero, Thomas Aquinas, Confucius, Hobbes, Locke, Kant, Marx, Gandhi, Hart, Feinberg, Nussbaum, the Dalai Lama, Derrida, Lyotard and Rorty. It also deals with contemporary issues of human rights, including genocide and ethnic cleansing, minority cultures, gay and lesbian rights, and rights to the environment.

It is ideal for courses in human rights, social theory, ethical theory, and political science. It is organized to make selections accessible and engaging. Each reading begins with a brief introduction and is followed with study questions and suggested further readings.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface
PART ONE: HISTORY AND THEORIES OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Introduction to Part One

SECTION 1: CLASSICAL PERSPECTIVES
1. Plato: Republic
2. Aristotle: Politics
3. Cicero: On the Laws
4. St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica
5. Hugo Grotius: The Rights of War and Peace
Further Readings for Section 1

SECTION 2: MODERN PERSPECTIVES
6. Thomas Hobbes: Leviathan
7. John Locke: The Second Treatise of Government
8. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract
9. Edmund Burke: Reflections on the Revolution in France
10. Thomas Paine: The Rights of Man
11. Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
12. Immanuel Kant: The Principles of Political Right
13. Jeremy Bentham: Anarchical Fallacies
14. Karl Marx: On the Jewish Question
15. John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism and On Liberty
Further Readings for Section 2

SECTION 3: CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES
16. H. L. A. Hart: “Are There Any Natural Rights?”
17. Maurice Cranston: “Human Rights, Real and Supposed.”
18. Joel Feinberg: “The Nature and Value of Rights.”
19. Thomas W. Pogge: “How Should Human Rights Be Conceived?”
20. Martha C. Nussbaum: “Capabilities and Human Rights.”
21. Richard Rorty: “Human Rights, Rationality, and Sentimentality.”
22. Jacques Derrida: “Wears and Tears (Tableau of an Ageless World.)”
Further Readings for Section 3

SECTION 4: NON-WESTERN PERSPECTIVES
23. Confucius: The Analects
24. Mo Tzu: “Universal Love.”.
25. The Buddha: “Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness.”
26. The Dalai Lama: “Human Rights and Universal Responsibility”
27. Kwasi Wiredu: “An Akan Perspective on Human Rights.”
28. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im: “Human Rights in the Muslim World.”
Further Readings for Section 4

SECTION 5: DOCUMENTS FOR PART ONE
29. The English Bill of Rights
30. Declaration of Independence of the United States of America
31. The Bill of Rights of the United States of America
32. French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
33. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

PART TWO: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Introduction to Part Two

SECTION 6: UNIVERSALISM AND RELATIVISM
35. Fernando Tesón: “International Human Rights and Cultural Relativism.”
36. Xiaorong Li: “‘Asian Values’ and the Universality of Human Rights.”
37. Charles Taylor: “A World Consensus on Human Rights?”
Further Readings for Section 6

SECTION 7: MINORITY CULTURES AND GROUP RIGHTS
38. James Crawford: “The Rights of Peoples: `Peoples’ or `Governments’?”
39. Will Kymlicka: “The Good, the Bad, and the Intolerable: Minority Group Rights”
Further Readings for Section 7

SECTION 8: ETHNIC CLEANSING AND HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION
40. James W. Nickel: “What’s Wrong with Ethnic Cleansing?”
41. Michael J. Smith: “Humanitarian Intervention: An Overview of the Ethical Issues.”
Further Readings for Section 8

SECTION 9: WOMEN’S RIGHTS
42. Arati Rao: “Right in the Home: Feminist Theoretical Perspectives on International Human Rights.”
43. Catharine A. MacKinnon: “Rape, Genocide, and Women’s Human Rights.”
Further Readings for Section 9

SECTION 10: GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS
44. Jack Donnelly: “Non-Discrimination and Sexual Orientation: Making a Place for Sexual Minorities in the Global Human Rights Regime.”
45. Martha C. Nussbaum: “Lesbian and Gay Rights.”
Further Readings for Section 10

SECTION 11: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
46. James W. Nickel: “The Human Right to a Safe Environment: Philosophical Perspectives on Its Scope and Justification.”
47. Edith Brown Weiss: “Planetary Rights.”
Further Readings for Section 11

SECTION 12: DOCUMENTS FOR PART TWO
48. Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
49. Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities
50. Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
51. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
52. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
53. Draft Declaration of Principles on Human Rights and the Environment
Bibliography
Index