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Human Rights & the National Interest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2018

J. Bryan Hehir
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Extract

The philosophical discussions about the nature and origins of human rights are learned, complex and fascinating; it can certainly be argued that before a statesman decides to make a national goal of their promotion he should have a firm moral theory about their essence and their foundations. But much of the literature has a tendency to overcomplicate what is already a formidably difficult subject.

—Stanley Hoffmann, Duties Beyond Borders

Heeding this cautionary note from a perceptive theorist who has explored the philosophical dimensions of rights policy, my limited purpose here is to examine three concepts from Roman Catholic theory that structure the Church's participation in the human rights debate. These concepts are: (1) the foundation of human rights; (2) the range of human rights claims; and (3) the conception of the state in international relations today.

Type
Articles
Information
Worldview , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , May 1982 , pp. 18 - 21
Copyright
Copyright © Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs 1982

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