Interrogating the Morality of Human Rights

Elgar Studies in Human Rights

Michael J. Perry, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, US

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com.

This forward-thinking book illustrates the complexities of the morality of human rights. Emphasising the role of human rights as the only true global political morality to arise since the Second World War, chapters explore its role as applied to often controversial issues, such as capital punishment, the exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage and criminal abortion bans.

‘The radical nature of Michael Perry’s “agapaistic” conceptualization of human rights seems at once intuitive, but somehow to have eluded the vast majority of commentators, particularly those with a legal background. Students and seasoned scholars alike will benefit from this return to the foundational ideas and claims of the human rights idea.’
– Dustin Sharp, University of San Diego, US

‘Few scholars have understood the philosophy and application of human rights as well as Michael Perry. In this volume, with his customary clarity and care, Perry has boiled his insights down to their essence and demonstrated their utility in dealing with some of the most controversial moral issues of our time. It is a capstone work, indispensable reading for anyone who cares about the subject.’
– Richard Kay, University of Connecticut, US

‘All interested in human rights in both the international and US contexts should read this book. It is a creative treatment of legal and philosophical approaches. Perry’s stress on the spirit of solidarity as key to promoting human rights is a powerful contribution.’
– David Hollenbach, Georgetown University, US

Michael Perry’s lifelong project has been to give a philosophical account of human rights, beginning with its foundational basis and ending with specific prescriptions for controversial cases. His writing combines spectacular intellectual ambition, moral urgency, and rigor in a way that should be a model for all scholars.’
– Andrew Koppelman, Northwestern University, US