Rights

by Michael Freeden

The concept of rights has become central to modern political argument. This book introduces the reader to some of the most recent political and philosophical theorizing on rights, while placing those theories within historical traditions. It focuses on examining rights discourse as a reflection of the patterns people employ when thinking about politics, and links rights with other key political concepts. The book investigates the doctrine of natural rights and its critiques, explores the distinction between choice and welfare rights, suggests an area of compatibility between rights theory and utilitarianism and assesses the contents of contemporary rights documents. It argues for an appreciation of the multiple meanings contained in rights discourse, but it also offers a plausible interpretation of rights which seeks to combine individualist and communitarian concerns and to extend the concept to cover all significant aspects of human flourishing.

Genres: Philosophy

134 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1991

About the author

Michael Freeden is a professor of Political Ideology in the University of Nottingham's Politics and International Relations department. He is also the founding editor of the Journal of Political Ideologies. He was previously an academic at the University of Oxford.