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Philosophical Foundation of Human Rights

  • Textbook
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Paul Tiedemann

    1. Justus Liebig University, Gießen, Germany

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  • Provides an introduction to the nature and ethical foundations of human rights
  • Offers an accessible overview that does not require a prior philosophical background
  • Illustrates important arguments in graph form
  • Includes brief information on historical references
  • Elucidates the practical applicability of the outcomes in legal practice

Part of the book series: Springer Textbooks in Law (SPTELA)

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Table of contents (21 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XVI
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 1-21

  3. Utilitarian and Aristotelian Approach

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 23-42

  4. The Social Contract Approach

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 43-63

  5. The Human Dignity Approach

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 65-78

  6. The Human Dignity Principle I

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 79-98

  7. The Human Dignity Principle II

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 99-119

  8. From Human Dignity to Human Rights

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 121-138

  9. Human Rights Concerning the Protection of Physical and Mental Integrity

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 139-155

  10. Freedom of Movement and the Rights Under Detention

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 157-171

  11. Human Rights Concerning the Protection of Intellectual Integrity

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 173-195

  12. The Human Right to Privacy

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 197-214

  13. The Right to Freedom of Conscience

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 215-230

  14. The Right to Spiritual Freedom

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 231-252

  15. The Right to Life

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 253-267

  16. Social Human Rights

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 269-293

  17. Right to Asylum

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 295-311

  18. Fake Human Rights

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 313-328

  19. The Principles of Liberty

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 329-347

  20. The Principles of Equality

    • Paul Tiedemann
    Pages 349-361
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Keywords

About this book

This textbook presents a range of classical philosophical approaches in order to show that they are unsuitable as a foundation for human rights. Only the conception of human dignity –based on the Kantian distinction between price and dignity – can provide a sufficient basis. The derivation of human rights from the principle of human dignity allows us to identify the most crucial characteristic of human rights, namely the protection of personhood. This in turn makes it possible (1) to distinguish between real moral human rights and spurious ones, (2) to assess the scope of protection for many codified human rights according to the criteria of “core” and “yard,” and (3) offers a point of departure for creating new, unwritten human rights. This philosophical basis supports a substantial reassessment of the case law on human rights, which will ultimately allow us to improve it with regard to legal certainty, clarity and cogency.


The textbook is primarily intended for advanced law students who are interested in a deeper understanding of human rights. It is also suitable for humanities students, and for anyone in the political or social arena whose work involves human rights and their enforcement.


Each chapter is divided into four parts: Abstracts, Lecture, Recommended Reading, and Questions to check reader comprehension. Sample answers are included at the end of the book.




Authors and Affiliations

  • Justus Liebig University, Gießen, Germany

    Paul Tiedemann

About the author

Paul Tiedemann, Gießen University

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