A political theory of rights

Description:

Rights are basic building blocks of the contemporary liberal state, and yet their rigorous justification is notoriously difficult. This book provides a thorough analysis of this central topic in modern political discourse. The book challenges the orthodox view that rights are a type of property claim in one's body. Drawing on the tradition of the social contract as well as the wealth of recent work in political theory the book argues for a different conception of rights. Rights are conceived as a certain type of political claim, justified by a Kantian ideal of autonomy. Moreover, that justification provides a moral basis for rights that, while independent of law and custom, is also tied to an image of citizenship particularly suited to the pluralistic nature of contemporary liberal society.

subjects: Human rights,  Autonomy,  Autonomie (algemeen),  Political Freedom & Security,  Menschenrecht,  Civil Rights,  Grondrechten,  Politische Theorie,  Droits de l'homme,  Liberalisme,  POLITICAL SCIENCE,  Autonomie,  Individu,  Rechtsfilosofie