Kantian Theory and Human Rights

"This volume explores pressing questions about human rights in light of recent developments in Kant scholarship. The contributors are a mix of respected scholars and exciting new voices. Together, they bring to the study of human rights distinctive Kantian ideas about the relational nature of human rights and the conceptual necessity of institutions to guarantee them."
—Arthur Ripstein, University of Toronto

"In recent decades, Immanuel Kant’s legal and political philosophy has won much-deserved recognition. But while its contributions to domestic public law and international law are justly celebrated, the idea of human rights has not played a central role in the discussion of Kant’s political thought. Contributors to this timely and important volume open the debate as to what Kant himself has to say on the topic of human rights. They apply his ideas to the pressing contemporary debates on the meaning and implementation of human rights. The articles in this volume go beyond traditional interpretations of Kant’s political thought in developing rights to health care and social security from Kantian roots. They make a strong case that a Kantian understanding of human rights is more productive than competing approaches when debating the competences of international organizations and supranational courts."
—Peter Niesen, University of Hamburg