Why Human Rights addresses universal human rights as moral mandates – rights to justice that all persons have by virtue of their humanity alone. This book explores the case for these foundational claims along with other philosophical controversies pertaining to human rights.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INTRODUCTION; PART 1: UNIVERSALITY, RELATIVISM, AND DIVERSITY: Chapter 1. How are human rights universal?; Chapter 2. Relativist objections; Chapter 3. Diversity and indeterminacy; Chapter 4. The limits of skepticism; PART II: HUMAN EQUALITY AND MORAL HIERARCHIES: Chapter 5. Human moral equality: the claim and its challenges; Chapter 6. Theories of moral considerability; PART III: INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND COLLECTIVE INTERESTS: Chapter 7. The domain of rights; Chapter 8. Justifying rights; Chapter 9. Liberty, equality, and community: complements or competitors?; Appendix A; Appendix B; Appendix C; REFERENCES; NOTES; INDEX.

“What are universal human rights? Can they be justified? In this highly engaging, powerfully argued, wide-ranging book, Eric Blumenson provides a superb overview of the relevant philosophical issues and develops trenchant critiques of competing philosophical views. For scholars and students interested in the theoretical foundations of universal human rights, this book is replete with penetrating insights and is also a true pleasure to read.”—Kenneth W. Simons, University of California, Irvine"Whether or not you have pondered the issue of human rights, Eric Blumenson’s book is for you. In this remarkable work, Blumenson surveys and critiques the major schools of philosophical thought and then puts forth his own powerful synthesis." – Howard Gardner, Harvard University“In this remarkable book, Blumenson tackles the hard questions surrounding human rights and universality, human dignity, and the tension between individual rights and communitarian perspectives. Students will be particularly grateful for the clarity and balance of his fresh approach to the more vexing conflicts posed by common claims of moral imperatives in a field where consensus is hard to come by.” -- Michael Meltsner, Northeastern University Law School “Reconciling the philosophical foundations of moral status and the equality of persons with the broader, substantive application and understanding of human rights is an incredibly ambitious and difficult task. Blumenson takes up this project (and more) in a clear, compelling, rigorous, and honest way. I can't recommend this book highly enough for those with an interest in human rights and all that is required to best understand and defend them.” — John Basl, Northeastern University