F1111 Human Dignity and Human Rights: the Development of an Idea and its Meanings
Human rights documents and charters, along with many national constitutions attribute their moral authority to the value of \"human dignity\".
The course aims at explicating the history of the idea of \"human dignity\" / Imago Dei as a moral value, how it operates behind the notion of natural \"human rights\" and how it bears on contemporary debates in human rights theories, especially in the area of bio-technology and bio-law.
The course will highlight the ethos of human dignity and rights as an attempt at creating an ethical language and conceptual instruments that is global in scope and respectful for particular cultures.
The course will defend the message that positive theories of rights (e.g. Hohfeld\'s) are not sufficient for coping with many human rights issues and related controversies. Familiarity with cultural values, especially, \"human dignity\" is no less essential, especially when dealings with personal (as opposed to political) rights.
Learning outcome and course objective: The course serves as an introduction to human rights, however from a special, angle (the historical sources of \"human dignity\"), with a focus on a certain kind of issues (bioethics / biolaw) and with a naturalist theoretical approach. Hence the course will be of value to students with some background on human rights as well.
Background preliminary knowledge: none
Students are required to purchase their own copy of the Bible as well as a printout of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights to bring to classes.
The course aims at explicating the history of the idea of \"human dignity\" / Imago Dei as a moral value, how it operates behind the notion of natural \"human rights\" and how it bears on contemporary debates in human rights theories, especially in the area of bio-technology and bio-law.
The course will highlight the ethos of human dignity and rights as an attempt at creating an ethical language and conceptual instruments that is global in scope and respectful for particular cultures.
The course will defend the message that positive theories of rights (e.g. Hohfeld\'s) are not sufficient for coping with many human rights issues and related controversies. Familiarity with cultural values, especially, \"human dignity\" is no less essential, especially when dealings with personal (as opposed to political) rights.
Learning outcome and course objective: The course serves as an introduction to human rights, however from a special, angle (the historical sources of \"human dignity\"), with a focus on a certain kind of issues (bioethics / biolaw) and with a naturalist theoretical approach. Hence the course will be of value to students with some background on human rights as well.
Background preliminary knowledge: none
Students are required to purchase their own copy of the Bible as well as a printout of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights to bring to classes.
Outline
Evaluation
Readings
Evaluation
Readings