Notes on Human Rights and Moral Decision Making

Abstract

International human rights is the dominant polticol-moral discourse of the modern, post-World War II age. While clothed in the language of international law, at its heart human rights involves a discussion about the nature of being human and how we can pursue the good through respect for human rights. To advance human rights, it is, therefore, necessary to understand and engage in moral discourse. In this paper we will be exploring the concepts of moral decision making in relation to human rights. We will cover the following three topics:

Morality and Morals vs Ethics
Law vs Morals
The Nature of Moral Decision Making:
A) Identifying the Good
B) The Process of Analysis
1) The actor or locus of care
2) Determining the good
3) Context
4) Competing values

Keywords: Human Rights, Moral Decision-Making

JEL Classification: K33