Why Human Rights?: A Philosophical Guide

This book explores the three philosophical claims underlying the moral idea of human rights: (1) Universal justice & objections to it on relativist & diversity grounds; (2) Human equality & hierarchical moral status claims like caste; (3) Individual rights & collectivist counterclaims from utilitarians & communitarians.

Eric Blumenson is a Research Professor at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. He writes in the fields of international human rights, criminal law, and moral philosophy.