A monthly discussion about things philosophic.
Join us for the next meeting on Monday evening, October 11th at 5:00. The topic is: Philosophy of human rights.
Human Rights - we hear about them almost every day in a variety of contexts. "Human right violations of prisoners, of people with disabilities, of immigrants/refugees, of women etc.”
But we rarely pause to think about what Human Rights actually are and what the foundation is for the concept of Human Rights. It’s not just a legal theme, or political theme, but also a philosophical theme.
Modern philosophy, starting with Kant, views a human right as a special sort of inherent right, that humans have because they are special beings, namely human beings.
Some view human rights as 'made up’ concepts, political fabrications. Others say they are (God-given) morally significant natural rights, standards independent from political or cultural context. Some don’t tie it to a moral foundation, but to a more existentialist perspective: humans as beings with special capacities such as autonomy, critical thinking abilities, aspirations, decision making. Some associate human rights strongly with legal frameworks, such as international conventions.
So let’s explore this together during our next Philosophy Café.
If you are interested to explore this a bit more before joining, here are a few reading and listening suggestions:
• Blog post: What Are Human Rights? Click here to open the blog post in another tab
• Blog Post: Are Human rights really universal? Click here to open the blog post in another tab
• Podcast (one hour) Suzy Killmister On the Socially Constructed Human and the Foundations of Human Rights Click here for a way to listen to this podcast
This will be a remote meeting from Zoom Meeting, and you must register to join.
Click the button to register:
We've finally unlocked the door again! The library is now open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
Call the Library at 719-846-6841 to make an appointment.