Human rights: moral or political?

This volume explores philosophical questions raised by the dual status of human rights as moral rights, on the one hand, and legally, politically, and historically practised rights, on the other. Its topics include: the relevance of the history of human rights to their philosophical comprehension (Part I); the “Orthodox–Political” debate (II); how to properly understand the relationship between human rights morality and law (III); how to balance the normative character of human rights—their description of an ideal world—with the requirement that they be feasible in the here and now (IV); the role of human rights in a world shaped by politics and power (V); and how to reconcile the individualistic and communitarian aspects of human rights (VI). All chapters are accompanied by critical commentaries. And the volume includes a comprehensive introduction, which provides readers with a concise overview of the arguments in the main text.