THE PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN RIGHTS: THE CONTEMPORARY DEBATE
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher: Luigi CARANTIExpected Learning Outcomes
The seminar aims to enable
students to master the complexity surrounding the philosophical foundation of
human rights. It also offers the possibility to gain a detailed knowledge
regarding the application of human rights to questions particularly pressing in
our days: the responsibility to protect, the cultural legitimacy of human
rights in non-western contexts, the relation between human rights and armed
conflicts.
Course Structure
The course is held in presence unless the epidemiologic condition does not allow it.
Required Prerequisites
Basic concepts of political theory
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is mandatory as per course rules. Only 25% absences will be tolerated.
Detailed Course Content
1. Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M., “The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. An Overview”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.1-23.
2. Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M., “The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. An Overview”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.1-23.
3. Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M., “The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. An Overview”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.1-23.
4. Raz, Joseph, “Human Rights Without Foundations”, The Philosophy of International Law (henceforth PIL), OUP, 2010: 321-337.
5. Buchanan, A. "Why International Legal Human Rights? “The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. An Overview”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.244-262.
6. Waldron, J., "Is Dignity the Foundation of Human Rights?" in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.117-137.
7. Simmons, J. "Human Rights, Natural Rights, Human Dignity" in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.138-152.
8. Cristiano, Thomas “Self-Determination and the Human Right to Democracy” in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.459-480.
9. Peter, Fabienne, “A Human Rights to Democracy?”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.481-491.
10. Buchanan, Allen, “The Egalitarianism of Human Rights”, Ethics, Vol. 120, No. 4 (July 2010), pp. 679-710.
11. Li, Xiarong “Asian Values and the Universality of Human Rights” PHR, p.397-408
12. An-Nai’im, Abdullahi A., “Human Rights in the Muslim World”, PHR, p.315-334
13. Held, Virginia Care and Human Rights? in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.624-641
14. Mendus, Susan Care and Human Rights. A Reply to Virginia Held, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.642-652
15. “The Responsibility to Protect”, available on line (http://responsibilitytoprotect.org/ICISS%20Report.pdf). In particular p. 1-28.
16. “The Responsibility to Protect”, available on line (http://responsibilitytoprotect.org/ICISS%20Report.pdf). In particular p. 29-55.
17) April 23
Bellamy, Alex “Responsibility to Protect or Trojan Horse? The Crisis in Darfur and Humanitarian Intervention after Iraq” (Ethics & International Affairs, 19(2), 31-54. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7093.2005.tb00499.x)
18)
Perisic, Petra. “Implications of the Conflicts in Libya and Syria for the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine”, 67 ZBORNIK PFZ 783 (2017): 783-814
Textbook Information
Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights Oxford Univerity Press 2015 9780199688630
Besson, S. and Tasioulas J. (eds.) The Philosophy of International Law Oxford University Press 2010 9780199208586
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M., “The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. An Overview”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.1-23 |
| 2 | Three different perspective on the foundation of human rights | Caranti, L. “Human Rights. The Contemporary Debate” in L. Caranti, Kant’s Political Legacy. Human Rights, Peace. Progress, UWP, pp. 40-56. |
| 3 | Assignment of material for in class presentations | |
| 4 | The political approach | Raz, Joseph, “Human Rights Without Foundations”, The Philosophy of International Law (henceforth PIL), OUP, 2010: 321-337 |
| 5 | Natural human rights and International Human Rights | Buchanan, A. "Why International Legal Human Rights? “The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. An Overview”, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.244-262. |
| 6 | The orthodox approach | Simmons, J. "Human Rights, Natural Rights, Human Dignity" in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.138-152. |
| 7 | Democracy and Huamn Rights | Cristiano, Thomas “Self-Determination and the Human Right to Democracy” in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.459-480. |
| 8 | Non-Discrimination and Human Rights | Buchanan, Allen, “The Egalitarianism of Human Rights”, Ethics, Vol. 120, No. 4 (July 2010), pp. 679-710. |
| 9 | The Asian Challenge to Human Rights | Li, Xiarong “Asian Values and the Universality of Human Rights” PHR, p.397-408 |
| 10 | Universality defended | https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2018/10/universality-cultural-diversity-and-cultural-rights |
| 11 | The Islamic Challenge to Human Rights | An-Nai’im, Abdullahi A. “Human Rights in the Muslim World”, PHR, p.315-334 |
| 12 | The Feminist Critique to Human Rights | Held, Virginia Care and Human Rights? in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.624-641 |
| 13 | Care and Human Rights: A Reply | Mendus, Susan Care and Human Rights. A Reply to Virginia Held, in Cruft R., Liao S. M., and Renzo M. (eds.) Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. Oxford: 2015, p.642-652 |
| 14 | Care and Human Rights: A Reply | “The Responsibility to Protect”, available on line (http://responsibilitytoprotect.org/ICISS%20Report.pdf) pp. 1-55. |
| 15 | Care and Human Rights: A Reply | Petra Perisic, “Implications of the Conflicts in Libya and Syria for the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine” 67(5) Zbornik PFZ 783 (2017) |
| 16 | Human Rights and Animal Rights | P. Singer, Practical Ethics, Cambridge University Press 2011, pp. 48-70. T. Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights”. In P. Singer (ed.) In Defense of Animals. Wiley-Blackwell 2004, pp.1-10 |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Assessment will take place by looking at four aspects of students’ performance: 1) Participation in class, 2) Presentation, 3) Final paper, 4) Final exam
Grade Weights:
Participation in class: 25%
Presentation: 25%
Final paper: 25%
Final exam: 25%
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
1) Describe the three main approaches to the philosophical foundation of human rights
2) Describe and comment on the argument of one of the papers studied during the seminar. Students may pick among topics that were neither object of their in class presentation nor of their term paper