Natural Human Rights
A Theory

This timely book focuses on the history, application and significance of human rights in the West and in China.

Michael Boylan (Author)

9781107029859, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 August 2014

312 pages, 2 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.2 cm, 0.56 kg

'A comprehensive, profound, carefully crafted study of the theory of natural human rights. Scholarship at its best.' Amitai Etzioni, George Washington University, and author of The New Golden Rule

This timely book by internationally regarded scholar of ethics and social/political philosophy, Michael Boylan, focuses on the history, application and significance of human rights in the West and China. Boylan engages the key current philosophical debates prevalent in human rights discourse today and draws them together to argue for the existence of natural, universal human rights. Arguing against the grain of mainstream philosophical beliefs, Boylan asserts that there is continuity between human rights and natural law and that human beings require basic, essential goods for minimum action. These include food, clean water and sanitation, clothing, shelter and protection from bodily harm, including basic healthcare. The achievement of this goal, Boylan demonstrates, will require significant resource allocation and creative methods of implementation involving public and private institutions. Combining technical argument with four fictional narratives about human rights, the book invites readers to engage with the most important aspects of the discipline.

Part I. Conceptualizing Human Rights: 1. How do we talk about human rights?
2. A short history of human rights in the West
3. Human rights in China
Part II. Justifications for Human Rights: 4. Legal justifications
5. Interest justifications
6. Agency justifications
7. Ontology, justice, and human rights
Part III. Applications of Human Rights: 8. War rape
9. Political speech
10. LGBT rights.

Subject Areas: Human rights [JPVH], Black & Asian studies [JFSL3], Gender studies, gender groups [JFSJ], Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ]