Challenge of human rights origin, development and significance

Includes bibliographical references (p. [191]-204) and index.

Human rights in history. The ancient classical world. The world of the Bible. The mediaeval world. Renaissance and Reformation thought. Hobbes and Rousseau. Revolution in England. American independence. The French declaration of the rights of man. English resistance to human rights. German developments : Kant and Marx -- The modern human rights movement. The charter of the United Nations Organisation. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Continental developments. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights. Wider human rights developments. British developments. Conclusion -- Clarifying human rights. Some useful distinctions. Rights and duties. The proliferation of rights. Individuals-in-society. Social divisiveness. Ethical imperialism? A challenge to all cultures. The strengths of human rights -- Establishing human rights. A matter of belief. An essential requirement. The nature of persons. Intuitionist approaches. Human dignity. "The wonder of our being." Major opponents. Conclusion -- The globalising of human rights. Global expansion. Seeking a global ethic. Cultural relativism. Global human rights. Towards cosmopolitanism. The inadequacies of states. "Principled" cosmopolitanism. Human solidarity.