Keeping Faith with Human Rights by Linda Hogan

Keeping Faith with Human Rights by Linda Hogan

Human rights are one of the great civilizing projects of modernity. From their formal promulgation in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 to their subsequent embrace by the newly independent states of Africa, human rights have emerged as the primary discourse of global politics and as an increasingly prominent category in the international and domestic legal system. In the theological realm, the concept of human rights has all but replaced its antecedent, natural rights, while in the world of Christian social engagement the language of human rights has become the lingua franca of political action. But in some theological circles, human rights continue to be both controversial and contested. Some skeptics contend that human rights reflect individualism, secularism, and Western political imperialism in disguise. Hogan, though, thinks human rights language is worth defending and tries to re-envision it. Avoiding problematic claims about shared universal values, she draws on the constructivist strand of political philosophy to argue that human rights are best conceived in a three-fold manner: as requirements for human flourishing; as necessary standards of human community; and as the basis for emancipatory politics.

An invaluable contribution to the politics, discourse, and field of human rightsInternational Journal of Public Theology Hogan seeks to map a route towards the rehabilitation of the idea of human rights and proposes that it is 'both theoretically possible and politically necessary for theologians to keep faith with human rights.' She succeeds in her endeavour, going beyond her modestly stated ambition and delivering an impressive defence of what, arguably, is modernity's greatest achievement... An important work. It deserves to cause pause for thought before delivery of the next papal address at the UN. Irish Times

Linda Hogan is vice provost / chief academic officer and a professor of ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin. She is the author of Confronting the Truth: Conscience in the Catholic Tradition and coeditor of Feminist Catholic Theological Ethics: Conversations in the World Church.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781626162334
ISBN 10	1626162336
Title	Keeping Faith with Human Rights
Author	Linda Hogan
Series	Moral Traditions Series
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Georgetown University Press
Year published	2015-09-15
Number of pages	248
Prizes	Commended for CPA Book Award for Faithful Citizenship 6 (United States), Commended for Catholic Press Association Book Award for Faithful Citizenship., Commended for Catholic Press Association Book Award for Faithful Citizenship 6 (United States)
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.