Mind and Rights
The History, Ethics, Law and Psychology of Human Rights

A uniquely comprehensive analysis of human rights combining historical, philosophical, and legal perspectives with research from psychology and the cognitive sciences.

Matthias Mahlmann (Author)

9781316635407, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 16 February 2023

300 pages
22.7 x 15.1 x 2.9 cm, 0.74 kg

'Mind and Rights is a spectacular contribution to our understanding of ethics, cognitive science, and human rights. Mahlmann's deep, systematic, and wide-ranging account takes issue with many influential trends in the study of mind, brain, and behavior, while also reviving and strengthening the case for universal human rights. A remarkably ambitious and provocative synthesis, which will shape and guide future reflection on these important topics.' John Mikhail, Georgetown University Law Center

Mind and Rights combines historical, philosophical, and legal perspectives with research from psychology and the cognitive sciences to probe the justification of human rights in ethics, politics and law. Chapters critically examine the growth of the human rights culture, its roots in history and current human rights theories. They engage with the so-called cognitive revolution and investigate the relationship between human cognition and human rights to determine how insights gained from modern theories of the mind can deepen our understanding of the foundations of human rights. Mind and Rights argues that the pursuit of the human rights idea, with its achievements and tragic failures, is key to understand what kind of beings humans are. Amidst ongoing debate on the universality and legitimacy of human rights, this book provides a uniquely comprehensive analysis of great practical and political importance for a culture of legal justice undergirded by rights. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Introduction: Navigating deep waters: the problems of human rights and new perspectives of enquiry
Part I. The Concept of Human Rights and the Global History of an Idea: 1. The concept of human rights
2. The truth of human rights: a mortal daughter of time?
3. Down the deeper wells of time
Part II. Justification: 4. Far from obvious: the quest for the justification of human rights
5. A castle of sand?
Part III. Rights and Moral Cognition: 6. Which kind of mind, which kind of morals, which kind of rights?
7. Where did it all come from?: Morality and the evolution of the mind
8. The mentalist theory of ethics and law
Epilogue. The tilted scales of justice
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Human rights & civil liberties law [LNDC]