Not without difficulties, various attempts are made to turn human rights into an indispensable point of reference for the evaluation of both the moral and the juridical legitimacy of the global political and economic order. However, unresolved theoretical issues regarding the justification and conceptualization of human rights challenge our comprehension of the matter. The course belongs to the disciplinary domain of political philosophy. Its general purpose is twofold: on the one hand, it sheds light on the ongoing philosophical debates on the unresolved theoretical issues surrounding the notion of human rights; on the other hand, it provides knowledge of how contemporary political philosophy deals with human rights. In particular, the course seeks to secure understanding of the ties between human rights, social justice, and liberal-democracy through the “theory of recognition” by Axel Honneth and the critical revision of “political liberalism” by Alessandro Ferrara. During the course, students will be required to read texts, discuss their content, and develop personal opinions as a means to critically exercise their learning and communication skills.
teacher profile teaching materials
- Human rights in the philosophical perspective: ontology and epistemology in the theory of human rights
- Freedom, justice as fairness and the ethics of democratic discourse: Rawls, Habermas and the challenges of postmodern critique
- Conceptions of autonomy and vulnerability in Honneth
- The psychological foundation of fundamental rights' fruition
– The Hegelian roots of the struggles for recognition: the social "fabric of justice" and the moral grammar of social conflicts
- The right to freedom and the social foundation of democratic ethical life
- The reasons for the existence of legal and moral freedom and their pathologies respectively
- Social freedom and the three registers of the ‘We’ of personal relationships
- Recognition and and free market: the sphere of consumption, the labour market and environmental sustainability
- Democracy and fundamental rights: the open society and hyper-pluralism
- Democracy, multiculturalism and liberalism
- Justifications and controversies around "political liberalism"
The course is taught in English.
1) HONNETH, Axel, "Freedom’s Right. The Social Foundations of Democratic Life", translated by J. Ganahl, Polity Press, Cambridge 2014 (ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6943-4)
2) HONNETH, Axel, ANDERSON, Joel., "Autonomy, Vulnerability, Recognition and Justice" (2005) (the article in question is available at the section FILES of the Team THEORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS 2023/2024 on the platform MICROSOFT TEAMS). In the case of difficulties in accessing the Team concerned and in getting hold of the article in question, please, promptly contact the teacher.
3) Extra-reading materials will be supplemented in class.
- EXAM MATERIALS FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS
1) HONNETH, Axel, "Freedom’s Right. The Social Foundations of Democratic Life", translated by J. Ganahl, Polity Press, Cambridge 2014 (ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6943-4)
N.B. - Chapter 6.3 (The 'We' of Democratic Will-Formation) is not mandatory reading, hence to be excluded
2) HONNETH, Axel, ANDERSON, Joel., "Autonomy, Vulnerability, Recognition and Justice" (2005) (the article in question is available in the section FILES of the Team THEORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS 2023/2024 on the platform MICROSOFT TEAMS).In the case of difficulties in accessing the Team concerned and in getting hold of the article in question, please, promptly contact the teacher.
Programme
CONTENT OF THE PROGRAMME -- Human rights in the philosophical perspective: ontology and epistemology in the theory of human rights
- Freedom, justice as fairness and the ethics of democratic discourse: Rawls, Habermas and the challenges of postmodern critique
- Conceptions of autonomy and vulnerability in Honneth
- The psychological foundation of fundamental rights' fruition
– The Hegelian roots of the struggles for recognition: the social "fabric of justice" and the moral grammar of social conflicts
- The right to freedom and the social foundation of democratic ethical life
- The reasons for the existence of legal and moral freedom and their pathologies respectively
- Social freedom and the three registers of the ‘We’ of personal relationships
- Recognition and and free market: the sphere of consumption, the labour market and environmental sustainability
- Democracy and fundamental rights: the open society and hyper-pluralism
- Democracy, multiculturalism and liberalism
- Justifications and controversies around "political liberalism"
The course is taught in English.
Core Documentation
- EXAM MATERIALS FOR MASTER STUDENTS -1) HONNETH, Axel, "Freedom’s Right. The Social Foundations of Democratic Life", translated by J. Ganahl, Polity Press, Cambridge 2014 (ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6943-4)
2) HONNETH, Axel, ANDERSON, Joel., "Autonomy, Vulnerability, Recognition and Justice" (2005) (the article in question is available at the section FILES of the Team THEORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS 2023/2024 on the platform MICROSOFT TEAMS). In the case of difficulties in accessing the Team concerned and in getting hold of the article in question, please, promptly contact the teacher.
3) Extra-reading materials will be supplemented in class.
- EXAM MATERIALS FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS
1) HONNETH, Axel, "Freedom’s Right. The Social Foundations of Democratic Life", translated by J. Ganahl, Polity Press, Cambridge 2014 (ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6943-4)
N.B. - Chapter 6.3 (The 'We' of Democratic Will-Formation) is not mandatory reading, hence to be excluded
2) HONNETH, Axel, ANDERSON, Joel., "Autonomy, Vulnerability, Recognition and Justice" (2005) (the article in question is available in the section FILES of the Team THEORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS 2023/2024 on the platform MICROSOFT TEAMS).In the case of difficulties in accessing the Team concerned and in getting hold of the article in question, please, promptly contact the teacher.
Type of delivery of the course
Class proceedings consist of inter-active lectures based upon the use of the ‘Socratic method’. Each session introduces the students to a specific topic through expository and exegetical work. The teacher will draw attention to the key points in the texts on the basis of adequate contextualization, and to difficulties of interpretation. The teacher will also refer to the key issues in current debates through relevant examples, cases and comparisons. Each session, for which students have read materials previously assigned, requires active participation. Debating is an indispensable feature of class proceedings. The possible contribution by one or two qualified guest-lecturers will be sought and audio-video materials will be employed for support.Attendance
Class attendance is compulsory with a view to the accomplishment of the exam phases.Type of evaluation
The oral final exam amounts to 50% of the final grade. Two take-home papers (1000 words) are due throughout the course, which amount to 25% of the final grade respectively.