Human Rights Flashcards
What are Hobbes’ views on human rights?
He believes in a social contract between an individual and their ruler. He believed that the State of Nature was chaotic without laws and therefore humans give up their freedom, create rules and appoint someone to ensure rules are upheld. This is the social contract. The wrong sovereign can destroy society, e.g. Hitler.
What are Locke’s views on human rights?
He also believed in the social contract, and natural rights (liberty, property, life). Governments exist in order to endure these rights are preserved (democracy). Locke did not believe that the sovereign should have unlimited power and people can repel government if they do not uphold rights.
What are Bentham’s views on human rights?
He regarded natural rights as “simple nonsense”, and believed the rights are “the fruit of the law”. Rights do not exist in the absence of government.
What are Christian perspectives on human rights?
Genesis 1:27 states that “God made man in his own image” meaning that humankind are crated with attributes that make him or her Godlike.It is this God-likeness that attributes a dignity and status to the human being which other living species do not possess As a result of this the human is entitled to basic, fundamental rights.
What did John Scott believe?
He believes that rights are inherent in creation and are bestowed upon us by our creator. Scott makes a distinction between animals and humans and what precisely it means to be human. Since therefore the Bible focuses on the question of the divine purpose for human beings, he suggests that it has a lot to say about this topic. It can be summarised in three key words: dignity, equality and responsibility.
Explain some secular perspectives on human rights.
Kant argues that it is never acceptable to treat a human being as a means to an end, meaning it is immoral to exploit another human being in any way, irrespective of race, religious belief or colour. Therefore,Kantian ethics is consistent with the ideas of human rights. Kant’s practical imperative is embedded in the Preamble to the United Nations Charter.
Explain some critiques of human rights.
Bentham referred to the idea that everyone had natural rights as “nonsense on stilts”.
Marx regarded the natural basis of rights as nonsense. He thought that rights promoted inequality as they protected the rights of the bourgeoisie over those of the working class.
