To the Righthouse

The power of telling a human story In conversation with Andrew Leon Hanna We want to continue our journey to better understand what it means to hope for the human, and to do so we will talk about the power of telling a human story. Our guest Andrew Leon Hanna* will answer some important questions: why is it important to use a common ground rather than divisive narratives? A human story rather than...

The need to stress achievements (big and small) In conversation with Mary Lawlor In the face of the current backlash against human rights, we want to reflect on how to hope for the better and what we can learn from the need to stress achievements in our continuous human rights struggles. We discuss some key questions with Mary Lawlor*: what evidence is there that human rights work? How do we talk...

The importance of positive human rights narratives In conversation with George Ulrich In the first GC Podcast Series, we widely explained why talking with human rights sceptics is not only relevant but also conducive to increased motivation for further action. Still, an important question remained: how to improve a meaningful human rights discourse? George Ulrich* shares his thoughts and answers a...

Are human rights real? How do they exist? Ontological scepticism questions the very being of universal human rights. In its most explicit form, it asserts that human rights do not exist. As famously stated by the British moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre in response to the proclamation of rights belonging to all human beings merely on account of being human: ‘there are no such rights, and belie...

Are human rights politically neutral? Does proliferation of human rights water down the very concept? Expressions of political scepticism about human rights may involve an assessment both of how human rights claims feed into and affect political processes and, conversely, the role of politics in facilitating the realisation of human rights. Political sceptics contend that human rights claims are p...

Are human rights an unrealistic luxury? Pragmatically-oriented expressions of human rights scepticism do not take issue with the concept of human rights as such. Rather, they question the relevance and efficacy of human rights in particular settings. They may acknowledge that human rights express a noble ideal to which one can aspire, but in current circumstances it is a luxury that society cannot...

Whose values? Whose experience? Are human rights inclusive? Value-based objections to human rights are commonly stated with reference to culture and/or religion. They may further be linked with a claim that human rights are shaped by and express distinctly Western values. The perception of a certain degree of incompatibility between human rights standards and prevailing cultural norms is widesprea...

Human Rights under pressure: when, why and how to engage with sceptics? In the current era of rising illiberalism and backlash against hard won human rights standards, there is a pressing need to stand firm, hold governments to their agreed international obligations and adopt a confrontational 'naming and shaming' approach to abuses and critics of Human Rights. If this is a pertinent reaction in m...