A Defense of Peace as a Human Right

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recent years have seen increased debate about the contributions that human rights make to the creation of conditions of peace. However, less attention has been paid to the claim that peace itself is a genuine human right. Whereas some critics argue that a focus on rights results in an overly formal juridical account of peace at the expense of a more robust notion of positive peace, others contend that a legal framework of rights is all that is needed to eliminate violent conflict. In this paper I strike a position between these two arguments and articulate a normative defense of the human right to peace embedded within a broader discourse of social justice. I do so by demonstrating that a right to peace is a genuine human right because it satisfies appropriate justificatory tests, including those concerning its scope, the duties it generates, and its economic feasibility.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)147-162
Number of pages16
JournalSouth African Journal of Philosophy
Volume21
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2002

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A Defense of Peace as a Human Right'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this