An International Perspective on Human Rights

This book focuses on the fate of human rights outside of the United States and over time. The first two contributions center on the French experience, especially the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of the French Revolution. The last two evaluate the way that the rights born in the eighteenth century evolved throughout the world during the last two hundred years. Although the articles attempt to characterize human rights, they disagree on how one ought to appreciate these liberties. Those articles on France raise questions regarding rights and suggest that in certain circumstances these freedoms can lead to certain unforeseen difficulties; they argue that the Declaration of the Rights of Man was the final step in solidifying a revolution in which the right to liberty was sacrificed to the right to equality. Confronting this position are the last two essays committed to a belief that in the infinite expansion of rights of all sorts lies the best path to human dignity. Contributors include Philippe Roger, Francois Furet, Ron Malevi, Louis Merkin and Goler Teal Butcher.