HUMAN RIGHTS

Human Rights: A Western Concept?

Human Rights: A Western Concept?

Introduction

'Human rights' is an important concept, has remained so throughout the history and will remain so; a concept of immense concern and significance, beyond the foreseeable future. Defining it briefly, it is considered as the rights that people possess because they are humans, which mainly revolves around the promotion of their individuality and protection. Universality of human rights has remained controversial with it usually being considered as a product of evolution of European thought process in 17th and 18th century or at some time during this time period. This has invoked significant level of controversy as universality of the conception and concept of human rights remains under emphasis as exercised by numerous schools of thought. Acknowledging this discrepancy, the essay under consideration will explore human rights in this domain so as to effectively determine the roots of human rights examining whether it belongs to European history, or it has its roots in history and religions other than that pertaining to Europe as well, though reviewing the relevant literature comprehensively.

Discussion

The beliefs that are held in alignment with the conception of human rights are primarily restricted to universality and relativism. In certain dimensions, human rights could be held as relative whereas considering other dimensions, it could be held as universal. The universality is also considered in disparate forms, as implied by the overlapping consensus, that is usually seen as formed between various parties in terms of functional, legal or international and as a result of these domains, overlapping consensus in universality is generated.

Human Rights is generally considered as a western construct particularly by the Europeans critics who are inclined towards and possess views that are aligned with cultural relativism, discarding the universality of human rights in its entirety while criticizing the concept of universal human rights in doing so. Pollis and Schwab wrote an article by the title of 'Human Rights: A Western Construct with Limited Applicability' within which they predominantly argued about the origination of human rights, stating that the roots of human rights lie in the Western Europe as well as North America (Pollis and Schwab,1979). As a result of this, they believe that human rights are strictly related and restricted to the confines of the philosophy and culture that characterize Occidental tradition. This view is in absolute alignment with the opinion provided by disparate other scholars belonging to other disciplines. Pollis and Schwab have emerged strictly as the proponents of cultural relativism in the case of the origination of human rights, thereby negating the existence of universality concerning human rights absolutely; hence being recognised as one of the most outspoken critics of it.

Picht; a German scholar, advocates the attribution of origination of human rights to the specifics of ancient Stoicism, as it is Stoicism that possess the metaphysical basis pertaining to the ideas of human rights and dignity. Considering Stoicism as the element behind the origination of Human Rights, for which it is important to emphasize on its ...