This paper examines the idea of human rights, and how they should be justified. It begins by
reviewing Peter Jones's claim that the purpose of human rights is to allow people from …

What are we talking about, when we talk about human rights? No doubt various senses
attach to the phrase “human rights”. Some are purely descriptive, characterizing human …

Winner: 2002 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award What are human rights? What
justifies us in believing we have them? What are rights-holders and duty-bearers? Who …

'This is a thorough and balanced work which examines the philosophical basis of human
rights and tackles head on, the most commonly held suspicions and misconceptions–some …

First published in 1985. In this study, Donnelly distinguishes between" having a right" and"
being right" and elaborates the distinction with great subtlety to show that rights have to be …

Understanding the history of the human rights idea is essential to understanding the debates
and problems that arise when we try to theorize human rights. Despite the rhetoric of human …

This paper examines work by three scholars who have recently subjected the intellectual
framework of human rights to critical scrutiny. For one, the central problem is that the …

This chapter presents a response to the last chapter's account of the relativity and
ethnocentricity of human rights. It outlines a naturalistic conception of human rights that is …

(International) human rights theory is en vogue. It has been the case for quite some years in
Germany, 2 (see footnote on next page) and it is now also the case in Anglo-American …

Our current notion of human rights has evolved out of earlier notions of natural law and
natural rights. We can begin to understand and analyze it by examining the continuities and …