A New Philosophy of Human Rights

“Joshua J. Kassner’s new deliberative account of human rights is inspiring, convincing, and hopeful. Kassner offers compelling theoretical foundations for much of what matters most for human well-being in a generally unjust world.” -- Mortimer Sellers, the University of Baltimore
“A New Philosophy of Human Rights innovatively contributes to the study of human rights. Moving beyond the binary of orthodox and political perspectives, Kassner taps into diverse perspectives within a deliberative framework in the practice of human rights. With a focus on public reasoning within the deliberative account and an understanding of the limitations of institutional and social practices as they are in the world rather than looking for a top-down idealized abstraction, this book is geared toward achieving a real-world understanding of the normativity of human rights. One important implication is that human rights discourse can remain true to its universal norms while being responsive to cultural complexities and differences, that it can be both substantive and negotiable as it faces the increasingly vocal challenges of diversity. Kassner also explores several leading philosophical ideologies and competing ethical theories with admirable clarity, impressive depth, and sharply contested arguments. He sets the tone and direction of this important area of scholarship for years to come.” -- Deen Chatterjee, University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law