DCC 2303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Martha Nussbaum, Dignity

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Droit (Certificat)
• Course: DCC 2303
• Professor: Frederick John Packer

Document Summary

Summarize what you have learned on the historical and philosophical origins of the concept of human rights and briefly discuss the different philosophical justifications of human rights. (750 words) The philosophical justifications of human rights can be explained with two theories, the interest theory approach and the choice theory approach. Both theories attempt to identify the essential attributes of humankind, and differ in respect of what they consider to be the fundamental basis for the possession of human rights. Human rights and human interests are viewed as two concepts that work in symbiosis. Different theorists present different accounts of our fundamental interests. Finnis draws from natural law and argues that there are 7 basic forms of human flourishing, and. This theory focuses on the idea that human rights are part of human nature. The issue with both theorists" approach to human rights is that they share an idealized account for humanity that excludes the capacity of human beings" inhumanity.