On Human Rights

Seven leading political philosophers grapple with the key question of contemporary political philosophy: articulating universal human rights that always apply in all cultures. Are there any human rights that apply to all women and all men in all cultures at all times? Can we ground human rights in an abstract rationality possessed by every human being? Or, as some philosophers have claimed, are attempts to ground human rights doomed to failure? Do human rights in any case need such grounding? On Human Rights, the second book in the Oxford Amnesty Lecture Series, presents the opinions of seven distinguished contributors who approach the problem of universal human rights from a variety of perspectives using a wealth of contemporary and historical material. The essays make a significant contribution to the theory and practice of human rights . They grapple with the hard questions that confront anyone concerned with responding appropriately to the numerous violations of human rights that surround us.