Justice and human rights concepts and analysis

Philosophy

Justice and Human Rights

The sudden "flowering" of respect for rights could relate to the Protestant Reformation, which certainly changed the religious world and questioned the relationship between the state and the individual. The Reformation reduced the power of the Catholic Church and showed people they could be responsible for their own lives, something that certainly adds to the ideas of human rights and justice. People discovered they could happily exist without the all-encompassing rule of the Catholic Church, and it set them free to develop other ideas, models, and theories of justice and rights. The Reformation really changed the world, and added new options for belief and spirituality, and that led to other changes and philosophies about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

However, the sudden desire for human rights, and the continuation of those rights throughout modern history cannot possibly be attributed to only one cause. The desire for human rights seems like a very basic human need, and the flowering in the 17th and 18th centuries is a result of powerful governments and the abuse of those powers, as well. This is clearly represented in the case of the United States, which began its Revolution as a reaction to the policies of the British government in a far off colony. The government taxed the Colonists without allowing them representation in the government, controlled importing and exporting, and generally trampled on the people's rights. Eventually, they had enough, and they revolted. One of the primary concerns during the revolt was for their rights, which were written into the official documents of the new nation, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The same holds true for France, which had its own Revolution in the 1790s. This revolution was a result of the powerful government ruled by a despot, and the people again revolted against the power and corruption of the wealthy king and his upper class. Human rights and basic freedoms were at the roots of the revolt, and again, the French gained these through revolution and revolt.

This indicates that human rights, and the desire for human rights, seem to be a human need, and so, it is not reliant on any one foundation, such as the Protestant Reformation. True, the Reformation set the wheels in motion, but continued oppression by tyrannical governments also caused the need for human rights. This is true for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well. The Declaration came as a result of World War II and the formation of the United Nations, and it sought to ensure the human rights of all citizens of the world, no matter where they lived or who governed them. Again, the basic belief that everyone is entitled to human rights is a basic human condition. It usually takes some kind of power or tyranny or oppression to bring out the desire for these rights, and after World War II and the Holocaust, there was another thrust for rights around the world.