The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Essay

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 that although we ‘cannot redress the injustices of the past, [with the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights] we can prevent such injustices happening in the future’ (Jackson, 2005, p. 168). In high esteem of this, this essay aims to explore and justify the universality of human rights, focusing essentially on five major arguments: Human rights should be regarded as universal because common human norms transcend the globe, moral agreements among cultures are greater than their moral differences, human beings are endowed with innate values which form a natural moral sense, human rights should be regarded as universal by the mere fact that we all belong to the human family; and, ultimately, the denial of universal human…