| In this thesis, it is argued that human rights and democracy are universal and as such should be defined clearly and advanced without apology. The arguments advanced by some politicians and theorists that would define human rights and democracy according to culture are politically convenient but philosophically problematic.; Further, the attempt to place so-called economic and cultural rights on the same level as political and civil rights misses the point. Civil and political rights are the means to which the other issues and their relative importance can be discussed or promoted. The grounding of one's country in the basic civil and political rights will ensure that other "rights" or desires can be pursued, debated, discussed, and implemented.; To "guarantee" economic and social "rights," especially without civil and political freedoms, is wishful thinking. While societies may possess economic success and social freedoms without a strong commitment to civil and political rights, the only foundational guarantee of such success and freedoms comes through a commitment to the basic civil and political rights. |
