New Philosophy of Human Rights

The philosophy of human rights has stalled over a debate between orthodox theorists committed to a moral understanding of human rights and political theorists who adopt a positivist approach. A New Philosophy of Human Rights challenges both, offering a novel deliberative account that bridges this divide.

Joshua J. Kassner is professor and director of the philosophy program at the University of Baltimore.

Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Groundwork Chapter 2: Understanding the Positions Chapter 3: Reconstructing the Debate Chapter 4: Deriving the Desiderata Chapter 5: A Little House Cleaning Chapter 6: Assessing Orthodox and Political Accounts of Human Rights Chapter 7: The Deliberative Account of Human Rights Conclusion: Exploring the Practice of Human Rights as a Space of Public Reasoning Bibliography About the Author