The Concept Of Universal Human Rights - 2464 Words

â€Å"No democracy and no open society can continue to exist in the long run without recognizing that rights and duties form a dual principle† (Schmidt n.d.). The concept of human rights, and human rights discourse though seeming to be a relatively new concept in terms of the history of humanity, is not. The concept of universal human rights predates the colonial project by hundreds of years. It is not merely a means for so called ‘western powers’ to expand but is the outlining and promotion of all rights that are naturally owed to each and every human being, justified by the basic fact that we are all human and therefore, equal. The concept of universal rights has been developed by both ‘western’ countries and those that have been left alone by this colonial project. As human beings have evolved the ability to reason, we have now, a responsibility to ensure that a baseline across humanity, regardless of religion, ethnicity, sex, gender, age or disability, is maintained. While the modern notion of human rights has been adapted from western philosophers and western works, there is use of human rights all throughout history within different societies that by far predate the height of colonialism, the rights of man or human rights is not a modern idea in fact human rights can be linked back as far as two millennia to the Cyrus cylinder (United for Human Rights n.d.), which arguably is one of the first known examples of human rights, produced in what is tody the middle-east, theShow MoreRelatedEvaluating Ethical Decisions and Defining a Universal Standard of Good1476 Words   |  6 PagesDefining a Universal Standard of Good It is difficult to provide a concrete definition for the word â€Å"right.† Right can mean many different things in different situations. For example, the right answer to one plus one is two. Yet, â€Å"doing the right thing† isn’t a simple answer like the previous example. In determining the difference between right and wrong, the pursuit of making an ethical decision is born. There are many concepts of right and wrong. Despite the number of concepts of right and wrongRead MoreA Critical Evaluation Of The Universal Nature Of Human Rights1329 Words   |  6 PagesA CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS INTRODUCTION Human Rights are the rights, that are considered to be inalienable, inseparable and vested upon individual by virtue of being human. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary defined the universal nature of Human Rights as ‘a right which is believed to belong to every person’. The aim of this essay is to critically evaluate the universal and relative nature of human rights postulated by the eminent scholars, who haveRead MoreThe Fundamental International Charter For Human Rights1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic of universal human rights is a complex and largely contested area of international relations. Though often highly regarded in â€Å"Western† states, the notion of individual rights is highly debatable in other parts of the world. In a struggle to reconcile regional traditions and world cultures, efforts to create implement a universally accepted charter of human rights have met many obstacles. Key issues including minority groups, gender, and the concept of individuality versus collectivismRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1396 Words   |  6 Pages The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (UNDR) was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 with the intention off providing a moral standard for judging an individual state’s treatment of it’s citizens. Yet to this day a debate rages between scholars such as Jack Donnely and Michael Goodhart as to whether the principles expressed within the UNDR are not only universal but actully culturally relative. When drafting the UNDR, the term â€Å"universal† was meant to show that the declaration â€Å"wasRead MoreAre Human Rights Universal? - Essay1277 Words   |  6 PagesThe concept of Universal Human Rights is a fairly new conception in human history. Rights are not the same thing as social or cultural norms, which can be used to oppress minority interest and be fundamentally unfair to individuals. The beginnings of this concept can be traced back to the Enlightenment Era of the mid 17th through the 18th century. The formal international consensus of this idea did not take effect until after World War II, when the United Nations (U.N.) adapted the Universal DeclarationRead MoreThe Last Utopia By Samuel Moyn Essay951 Words   |  4 Pageswas not a human rights struggle, writing, â€Å"If anticolonialism generally spurned human rights, one might say, it was because it was a rights of man movement, with all the prior fidelity to the state that concept implied in modern hi story.† Moyn’s emphasis on the state here is telling. Because the rights that a nation could provide were particular to its citizens, not international, they could not be human rights. The â€Å"rights of man† were not the rights of all. Further, Moyn views the concept of self-determinationRead MoreThe Battle for Human Rights in Ethical and Global Politics1135 Words   |  4 Pages Human rights are a strong point of contention in the context of ethics and global politics. This is due to the vast diversity of perspectives that exist within the international world system – which makes it increasingly to difficult to define a truly global conception of human rights today. At the core of human rights perspectives is the suggestion that there should be a ‘basic’ notion of universal human rights. However, this is widely contested. In this essay I will critically interpret the notionRead MoreWhat are your perceptions on the universal declaration of human rights would you like to amend any of the articles or add a new article to the declaration?1732 Words   |  7 PagesWhat are your perceptions on the universal declaration of human rights would you like to amend any of the articles or add a new article to the declaration? In:  International Laws [Edit categories] Answer: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is half a century old, but critics are still asking whether anything in our multicultural, diverse world can be truly universal. Some ask, isnt human rights an essentially Western concept, ignoring the very different cultural, economic and political realitiesRead MoreUniversal Access For Affordable Health Care1426 Words   |  6 PagesWhether universal access to affordable health care is something every individual has a right to or something they must earn is definitely a controversial topic. While most agree that the current health care system in the United States is one that needs work, many continue to argue about the notion of universal access to health care and if it’s truly what’s best for a nation. In reality, access to affordable health care is a human right to all persons in the world, and is something that all shouldRead MoreThe Universal Human Rights Of The United Nations873 Words   |  4 PagesThe Universal Human Rights: From Paper to Reality According to the Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights of the United Nations, â€Å"human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible† (United Nations Human Rights). In other words