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Human Rights and Human Dignity: An Analytic Critique of Non-Western Conceptions of Human Rights

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  • Donnelly, Jack

Abstract

It is regularly argued that human rights are not a Western discovery and that non-Western societies have long emphasized the protection of human rights. Such claims, however, are based on a confusion of human rights and human dignity. A concern for human dignity is central to non-Western cultural traditions, whereas human rights, in the sense in which Westerners understand that term—namely, rights (entitlements) held simply by virtue of being a human being—are quite foreign to, for example, Islamic, African, Chinese, and Indian approaches to human dignity. Human rights are but one way that has been devised to realize and to protect human dignity. Although the idea of human rights was first articulated in the West in modern times, it would appear to be an approach particularly suited to contemporary social, political, and economic conditions, and thus of widespread contemporary relevance both in the West and the Third World.

Suggested Citation

  • Donnelly, Jack, 1982. "Human Rights and Human Dignity: An Analytic Critique of Non-Western Conceptions of Human Rights," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 76(2), pages 303-316, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:76:y:1982:i:02:p:303-316_18
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    Cited by:

    1. Abdul Karim Aldohni, 2018. "Is Ethical Finance the Answer to the Ills of the UK Financial Market? A Post-Crisis Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 265-278, August.
    2. David Mattson & Susan Clark, 2011. "Human dignity in concept and practice," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 44(4), pages 303-319, November.
    3. Niina Meriläinen & Marita Vos, 2015. "Public Discourse on Human Trafficking in International Issue Arenas," Societies, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-29, January.
    4. William J. Jones, 2014. "Universalizing Human Rights: The ASEAN Way," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 0200671, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    5. Song, Andrew M., 2015. "Human dignity: A fundamental guiding value for a human rights approach to fisheries?," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 164-170.

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