...certain than the fact that time never stops. Long after every person alive today draws his or her last breath, the plant Earth will continue to turn and with every turn, the human race will continue progress in its pursuit of knowledge. Each day brings the human race one step closer to a brighter, more vibrant future. In the past seventy years, the human race has made tremendous strides in a plethora of fields. Within this plethora of flourishing fields lies the field of human rights. Since 1945, the field of human rights has prospered so rapidly that present day human rights differ immensely from the human right laws of 1945. The definitions and institutions of human rights have evolved so greatly that a whole new world has opened up. Through decades of determination as well as struggle, these definitions and institutions of human rights have made vast advances towards the inclusion of basic human rights to all. Between the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations, and citizens of our world, the fight for equality has brought about a successful change. The concept that every person is entitled to certain, inalienable rights simply by the virtue of their humanity is relatively new. The year of 1945 marks not only the historical end of World War II, but it also indicates the propulsion of human rights into the universal scale. The combined extermination by Nazi Germany of over 11 million Jews, Gypsies, communists, Polish, homosexuals, and mentally and physically disabled...
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...Basic Human Rights Taken Lisa Davis HUM499 – Responsibility for the Future June 1, 2015 Samuel O’Donnell Southwestern College Professional Studies Basic Human Rights Taken In the concentration camps prisoners had everything and every right taken away. First when they arrived they were stripped of their personal belongings. No one should have their personal stuff taken from them and be humiliated and stripped down naked in front of everyone. The prisoners were then treated as if they were a piece of garbage that could be disposed of as if they meant nothing. The prisoner destiny was in the hand of someone who had no right to choose if the prisoner lived or died, but somehow managed to get the privilege of making this choice as if they were God. The prisoners were not feed properly at all. They were rationed out bread and soup. They were never given enough so they were slowly dwindling away of starvation. The prisoners poor nutrition left them open to many diseases their bodies were not able to fight off in its unhealthy state. Food is a right everyone has should have food to eat! Especially these prisoners they worked hard day in and out. It is one thing if someone sits around does not work or try to provide for themselves and has no food. They then have no one but themselves to blame. That wasn’t the case with these prisoners if any one deserved to eat it was them! The prisoners were stripped of any dignity they may have had. They were beating and talked down to. They...
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...Kantian Morals, Utilitarianism, and Basic Human Rights As we continue to study the origin of moral theory, we come across two very influential philosophers; Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. Both have very opposing ideologies concerning morality and basic human rights, but they have certainly contributed much to the way we work as a society today. In this paper, we will look at both theories more in depth. First we will look at Kant. According to Kantian Ethics, what gives an action it’s moral value is the agent’s respect for moral duty; In other words, the agent must be completely selfless in his action in order for it to be considered moral. Consequences do not matter, the “good will” of a person is the only thing with intrinsic value. A person must act out of only intention to do good; not for personal gain, but because they know it is the right thing to do.(Kant Slides). This theory is impartial to all, there are no exceptions. In order to establish whether an action is moral, the act must follow two categorical imperatives (universal commands): -Categorical Imperative I states: “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become universal law...”(Kant, 414). In accordance with this imperative, you must first state your maxim (the rule which states your action) and decide whether or not the rule can become a universal law. If it can, in fact, be a universal law by which all of humanity abides, then it is a moral act. For...
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...healthcare be considered a basic human right? Over the past century, the term "health" has been redefined over and over to come to a more exact and appropriate meaning so that consensus can be reached. The World Health Organization came up with its first definition of health, as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."(p. 26) However, many people criticized and questioned the words "complete", "mental", "social", "disease", "infirmity" and their meanings. Daniel Callahan eventually proposed a short yet solid statement on the definition of health, as "a state of physical well-being."(p.66). Why has so much effort been made to determine a proper definition of health? Because it is important to us. Health is an essential aspect of our lives and its significance cannot be minimized. Therefore, it is natural for humans to pursue good health. But consequentially, does that give humans the right to healthcare? According to the WHO Constitution, "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being…" In order to attain that standard however, healthcare services are required. Services such as treatment, diagnosis, and prevention provided by medical practitioners play a vital role in people's well-being. One might say that it is their responsibility but on what grounds? In this paper, I argue that healthcare is not a basic human right because for one, physicians...
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...Journal of International Business Ethics Vol.1 No.1 2008 ESSAY: CONSUMER RIGHTS: A PART OF HUMAN RIGHTS Shaoping Gan Center for Applied Ethics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China Abstract: For many ordinary Chinese, assuming obligation and responsibility means almost the same as having ethics and morality. Therefore, when talking about consumer ethics, people first think about consumers’ obligation to strive for the virtue of frugality. However, in today’s world, especially after the opening up and reform of China’s economy, consumers have more courage to safeguard their rights as a result of rising consumer awareness. Consumers’ newfound courage showcases the change of people’s values. During a discussion of consumer ethics, we naturally take the protection of consumer interests as the starting point. The shift in research from the examination of frugality to consumer interests reflects the transformation of the Chinese moral mentality from obligation-orientation to right-orientation. Keywords: consumer rights, human rights, consumer ethics SAFEGUARDING CONSUMER RIGHTS, THE FIRST PRIORITY OF CONSUMER ETHICS For many conventional Chinese, assuming obligation and responsibility means almost the same as having ethics and morality. Possessing ethics and morality depends on people’s self-cultivation as they seek to develop virtues, find cause first in their own persons, and strengthen their characters. Such a mentality has a profound impact on the Chinese...
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...1. Universalism, Communitarian and Marxist perspectives all played a role in the development of human rights on a global scale. Basically, universalism argues that every human, is entitled to the same basic human rights - their gender, nor the religion they practice, nor the colour of their skin has any sort of impact on whether or not they have these rights. According to the course textbook, “universalism… comprises the right to physical security, integrity, freedoms of expression and association, the right to hold and sell private property,” (85). Universalism has strong ties with politics, in particular, liberal and democratic practices; that being said, the concepts of universalism revolve around political rights for the individual with the main focus remaining human rights. On the opposition, Communitarians do not believe the views of largely liberal intellectuals. One of their biggest criticisms is against the evolution and development of modern civilization; it is thought that the emergence of these civilizations forced individuals to become violent and almost barbaric, (96). It is also strongly believed by communitarians that basic human rights, including those listed above are not at all fundamental or inherent in all human beings. Furthermore, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the man credited for many communitarian theories, argued strongly against the notion of human rights defended people from other people and their actions, (97). There are some aspects, or some liberal...
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...International Institutions - P2, P3, M1, D1 D1- Each of the three institutions have in some way help to uphold the stated human rights. The humanitarian aid programme help to provide the vital and basic human needs during a stage of sever poverty, disaster relief and post or present war. Their main intention is to deploy medical and rescue teams to minimise any potential suffering. UN agencies are fully responsible for all the aiding programmes and personnel exported and the UN office coordinates the humanitarian affairs. Disaster relief is similar to the humanitarian aid, yet disaster relief is more specialist personnel. Such as; specific teams to supply food, shelter, water and various other resources. The EU, for example donated over $600 million towards disaster relief to the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. The UN and NATO are heavily involved in peacekeeping operations. Security and peace though- out the world is one of the main goals for the international institutions. The UN currently has 16 peacekeeping missions active. In countries such as Sudan and Cyprus. And NATO is involved in three countries, Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. Reconstruction provides humanitarian aid to the rebuilding of the country/ region. It’s to give post reconstruction of a country which has been damaged by conflict or natural disasters. The EU, UN and NATO were involved in the reconstruction of Haiti, hurricane Katrina and the Pakistan earthquake in 2005. The organisations provide support and...
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...while exercising their rights but not denying the rights of others. The basic human rights include treating others with respect, expressing one’s own feelings and beliefs, saying no without the feeling of guilt, being able to make mistakes but accept the responsibility of those mistakes, being a tentative listener, being able to change his or her mind, being able to ask for what he or she wants, being able to place one’s own interests and needs before that of another person’s, being able to set priorities, and being able to refuse having to justify one’s feelings or behaviors. Along with these rights come responsibilities and expectations that have to be fulfilled if these rights are to be received such as the Golden rule, which is also the number one basic human rights, “to be treated with respect” you must first treat others with respect. How is one’s behavior determined? Simple, by watching the behavior of others. Since we were born, we have been mimicking behaviors and actions of the people surrounding us. Our families have the privilege of being the first in our lives that we patterned our behaviors off of. Next, were our friends and peers. One does not know if they are demonstrating a good or bad behavior until it is either brought to their attention or unless they are really great people at self-recognition (being able to look in the mirror and really see what is on the other side instead of what they wish was on the other side. There are four basic behaviors: Nonassertive...
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...populations to forced displacement, and violence. Among the challenges associated with the humanitarian crisis, is lack of access to basic needs by the affected population and inadequate access to information by the aid providers. In addition, crises alter the cultural and social structures that affect the statuses of the men, women, and children in the society (Olsen, Carstensen, and Høyen). Basic principles of International Humanitarian Law International humanitarian law consists of rules used in times of armed conflicts to protect the victims of hostilities. The laws also restrict the methods of warfare employed during such situations. Humanity is one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law. The principle focuses on addressing suffering in the affected regions. It ensures the provision of emergency care to the affected populations wherever found. This results in protection of health and life of the affected populations. Principle of humanity ensures respect for a human being and promotion of their optimal health and wellbeing (van der Merwe). Impartiality, which is the second basic principle of the international humanitarian law, focuses on prioritizing needs of the population in crisis. Principle of impartiality recognizes that, humanitarian actions should be basing on the severity of the human need. This entails responding to the most critical cases of distress without taking into...
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...Human rights in today’s world have become pivotal to the functioning of our society as a whole, largely due to the increased occurrences which in turn have led to greater awareness and repudiation of the same in the world community. In present times the human rights field encompasses a broad range of civil, political, economic and social rights which shows its all pervasive nature, and the accountability for the violation of these rights by state and non-state actors alike. The scope of human rights in today’s day and age has thus widened considerably as gradually the individual becomes an end in himself and is recognized as being of primordial concern. Human rights law is a subset in the field of human rights. Human rights are what define a society; hence the human rights law takes primacy over all the laws. There is nothing more important than the development of human rights in an evolving society Human rights and criminal law are closely inter - related. My personal interest lies towards human rights as under the criminal law. Today we see all kinds of crimes being committed- state or non-state, say torture of prisoners, child labour, or most importantly human trafficking. The shock it inflicts on society and more importantly, the fear and divide that is created through the violation of these rights is something which alerts us to the pressing need, as future law promulgators, to take a step forward in helping to curb these dehumanizing crimes. The need for effective and...
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...I will be reviewing Lynn Hunt’s Inventing Human Rights, in which Hunt focuses on the conceptualization of human rights and the paradox of self-evidence. Hunt introduces her perspective regarding novels as the fuel for a change in political ideas, “The austere Swiss natural law philosopher Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui insisted that liberty could only be proved by each man’s inner feelings: ‘Such proofs of feeling are above all objection and produce the most deep-seated conviction.’ Human rights are not just a doctrine formulated in documents; they rest on a disposition toward other people, a set of convictions about what people are like and how they know right and wrong in the secular world” (Hunt 27). Especially in the eighteenth century, novels were a way to escape from the everyday and dive into a character. It is only natural, then, that the reader begins to project themselves onto the...
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...poison and died. Socrates was determined to force the people of Athens to accept responsibility for their choice of comfortable superstition over logic and reason. What is the primary focus of the virtue of ethics theory? The primary focus is one’s character, especially the personal disposition to act well in various circumstances. What really guides our behavior as humans is not ultimately self-centeredness or explicit commitments to moral rules or results but rather the deep patterns of each of our personalities and behaviors. . Explain the basic concept of a right. The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered to be entitled, often held to include the rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression Basic rights Explain the meaning of the Equal Liberties Principle. In other words, people have the basic freedom to do whatever they want to do. The only limitation on this moral freedom is our duty to extend these same rights and freedoms to others. Our only moral duty is to avoid violating the rights of others “Everyone is entitled to as many...
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...In Steven M. Wise's article, “Why Animals Deserve Legal Rights”, Wise states that having rights is important because it shows importance of existence. Humans have come a long way from once being classified as objects or things by other humans to "now every human is a person in the eyes of the law" thanks to legal rights. However, Wise believes legal rights should not be exclusive to humans. He believes animals who are deprived of legal protection should be defended from torture, abuse, and exploitation. For the majority of his argument, Wise explains why autonomy is not a valid reason why animals do not deserve legal rights. Yet, there are so many other points left out that can validate rights for animals. Wise briefly touched on fact that "Judeo-Christian theologians sometimes argue that humans are made in the image of God", implying humans are far more superior than nonhumans and should be given rights. However, the Bible states nonhumans or animals are also the creation of God, thus, it wouldn't make sense to regard animals as just things and treat them like so if humans are also created by God. The point is, even if one believes in God or not, nowhere does it say humans are above all other living things. All living things are granted the same privilege to live and exist. Humans aren't asked to treat animals as equals in terms of giving animals all human rights but to treat them with respect and decency. People may think little of animals and their role in society. But...
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...the same basic rights to life that humans have. Paola Cavalieri and Peter Singer published a book in 1993 titled, “The Great Ape Project.” The novel is composed of different essays written by advocates of the projects who aim to discuss the ethology and ethics issues between human beings and apes. Cavalieri and Singer argue that we now have “sufficient information about the capacities of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans to make it clear that the moral boundary we draw between us and them is indefensible.” The novel became instantly popular and eventually led to the creation of the self-titled Great Ape Project. The Great Ape Project was founded in 1994 and put into action six years later in Sorobaca City. The Great Ape Project is an international movement that “aims to defend the rights of the non-human great primates-chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.” According to the project, the three main rights his project wants to ensure for apes include, the right to life, the protection of individual liberty, and the prohibition of torture. The Great Ape Project argues that apes deserve the right to live a higher standard of life. Studies have proven that chimpanzee’s are the closest relatives of human beings. Chimpanzees share 98.4% of the same DNA that human’s have. DNA tests also say that gorilla’s share 97.7% of the same DNA that humans have. The Great Ape Project wants to bridge the gap between human beings along...
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...THE RIGHT TO HEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................i About the Center for Economic and Social Rights ...............................................................i Executive Summary............................................................................................................ ii Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1 I. The Legal Framework for the Right to Health ................................................................ 4 A. The Right to Health in the UDHR and ICESCR..................................................... 5 B. Substantive Elements Required to Fulfill the Right to Health................................ 6 C. Procedural Protections of the Right to Health ........................................................ 7 II. The Current U.S. System ............................................................................................ 8 A. The Legal Structure................................................................................................. 9 B. The Financial Structure: Who Pays? Who Profits? .............................................. 11 III. International Standards in the U.S. Context .......................................................... 13 A. Availability...........................
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