The United Nations’ creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a global acknowledgement of the human need for connection and existential meaning when confronted with pain and suffering. The mid- 20th century had seen the world reach crisis point: A deluge of innumerable human atrocities, resulting from 'the shattering experience of two world wars and the phenomenon of mass genocide ' (Burnham & Papandreopoulos, n.d.) caused world leaders to act immediately: no longer could they ignore the echoing cries from all corners of the planet, 'never again would man suffer such violations of his naturally endowed rights, thus began the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ' (Northrop, 2015). The United Nations asserted
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If the world does not regard human rights as universal, then life for those living in places such as North Korea (a country devoid of any human rights) is lived in a dehumanised state where the essence of what it is to be human is taken away. The fact that North Korea consciously and consistently fails to meet the basic needs of its citizens, emphasises the fact that universal human rights are an ideal, which must be fought for. The acknowledgement of human rights’ ‘ideal’ status, however, does not wish to assert that human rights are too quixotic a venture, it merely wishes to emphasise that universalists do not hold the (somewhat typecast) impractical or foolishly idealistic views of the world’s current state; rather, that we attain an all-encompassing consideration of human rights, examining the gaps and weaknesses, not ignoring them. Today, the United Nations acknowledge North Korea as remaining ‘among the world’s most repressive countries’ (Human Rights Watch Organisation, 2016) whose abuses are ‘without parallel in the contemporary world (Human Rights Watch Organisation, 2016). As encapsulated by former United States’ ambassador to the United Nations, Daniel Patrick …show more content…
Human Rights should be regarded universal because they are applicable to every human being simply by virtue of their equal humanity (Klug, n.d., p. 275) and because they are held by all persons equally, universally and forever. Cultural relativists would argue that human rights cannot attain universality because values are relative to the individual, can only be understood within the context of cultural norms and cannot be dictated by outsiders, however this essay revoked such a claim, in that, the articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were composed under the diverse mindset of all United Nations members with ‘human reasoning, considering all inter-subjective possibilities’ (Joas, 2009) specifically acknowledging and honouring that ‘the nourishment of culture is indispensable for human rights protection’ (Haocai, 2011). Every human culture has a moral code which, when compared, may appear strikingly different in their moral outlook, however, upon closer examination, are more likely to be superficial differences masking underlying common values (Westacott, n.d.). The universality of human rights simply prevail because no individual values suffering, and as stated by Mohamad (1996) ‘any atrocity anywhere cannot be tolerated… No one should be allowed behind the cloak of cultural relativism… it is the very essence of the
If the world does not regard human rights as universal, then life for those living in places such as North Korea (a country devoid of any human rights) is lived in a dehumanised state where the essence of what it is to be human is taken away. The fact that North Korea consciously and consistently fails to meet the basic needs of its citizens, emphasises the fact that universal human rights are an ideal, which must be fought for. The acknowledgement of human rights’ ‘ideal’ status, however, does not wish to assert that human rights are too quixotic a venture, it merely wishes to emphasise that universalists do not hold the (somewhat typecast) impractical or foolishly idealistic views of the world’s current state; rather, that we attain an all-encompassing consideration of human rights, examining the gaps and weaknesses, not ignoring them. Today, the United Nations acknowledge North Korea as remaining ‘among the world’s most repressive countries’ (Human Rights Watch Organisation, 2016) whose abuses are ‘without parallel in the contemporary world (Human Rights Watch Organisation, 2016). As encapsulated by former United States’ ambassador to the United Nations, Daniel Patrick …show more content…
Human Rights should be regarded universal because they are applicable to every human being simply by virtue of their equal humanity (Klug, n.d., p. 275) and because they are held by all persons equally, universally and forever. Cultural relativists would argue that human rights cannot attain universality because values are relative to the individual, can only be understood within the context of cultural norms and cannot be dictated by outsiders, however this essay revoked such a claim, in that, the articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were composed under the diverse mindset of all United Nations members with ‘human reasoning, considering all inter-subjective possibilities’ (Joas, 2009) specifically acknowledging and honouring that ‘the nourishment of culture is indispensable for human rights protection’ (Haocai, 2011). Every human culture has a moral code which, when compared, may appear strikingly different in their moral outlook, however, upon closer examination, are more likely to be superficial differences masking underlying common values (Westacott, n.d.). The universality of human rights simply prevail because no individual values suffering, and as stated by Mohamad (1996) ‘any atrocity anywhere cannot be tolerated… No one should be allowed behind the cloak of cultural relativism… it is the very essence of the