Overview
What are rights? What rights do we have? Why do we have them? What difference does having rights make? These are some of the questions that this book tries to answer. It analyses the conceptual intricacies of rights and examines the special role that rights perform in our moral and political thinking, and how theories which give fundamental significance to rights contrast with other sorts of moral and political theories. Peter Jones gives special attention to natural rights and human rights - to what sorts of rights those are, to how they might be justified, and to what natural and human rights demand of governments both nationally and internationally. He also looks at rights as they relate to freedom, to material needs and to democracy, and concludes by examining the status that rights should have in our moral and political thinking, the problems posed by cultural diversity for the doctrine of human rights, and the ways in which political systems might provide for rights.
Synopsis
What are rights? What rights do we have? Why do we have them? What difference does having rights make? These are some of the questions that this book tries to answer. It analyses the conceptual intricacies of rights and examines the special role that rights perform in our moral and political thinking, and how theories which give fundamental significance to rights contrast with other sorts of moral and political theories. Peter Jones gives special attention to natural rights and human rights - to what sorts of rights those are, to how they might be justified, and to what natural and human rights demand of governments both nationally and internationally. He also looks at rights as they relate to freedom, to material needs and to democracy, and concludes by examining the status that rights should have in our moral and political thinking, the problems posed by cultural diversity for the doctrine of human rights, and the ways in which political systems might provide for rights.
Booknews
An introduction for students of ethics, law, politics, and international law to the conceptual intricacies of rights and how the theories that give them a fundamental significance contrast with other kinds of moral and political theories. Special attention goes to natural rights and human rights: what they are, how they might be justified, and what they demand of governments. Includes a bibliographic essay. Printed on acidic paper. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)