Human Rights: From Plural to the Universal
The biological sciences teach that evolution occurs at the organizational level, which is also known as the population level. Similarly, morality and the ethical standards that govern human relations can be seen to evolve insofar as culture itself evolves. The human right to liberty has, historically speaking, been restricted to a limited minority (in the West), namely: to men of European descent. Over time and by virtue of countless trials and the compassion and integrity of people capable of recognizing this disparity, humankind was able to reimagine this ideal, placing it under the universal banner of human rights.
This development of human rights, from concepts pertaining to minorities to becoming universal ideal, is a matter of major importance. Indeed, the implications are yet to be realized in full. But before getting into X, Y and Z with regards to human rights, a preliminary understanding of the substrata through which these phenomena operate will be useful.
Among the outstanding faculties of Homo sapiens is the capacity for intersubjective experience—that is, the ability for people to share stories with one another and, consequently, to share values1. Over the course of millennia, relatively small and isolated bands of people would have evolved on their own. Eventually, these local bands expanded to form nations, and now encompass what is generally recognized to be a global network. Today, despite issues of national interests, individuals have the luxury of standing together as citizens of a global community. Inter-subjectivity—the magic of mutually imagined values—is the mechanism for cooperation at the level of human societies.
Technology, medicine, economics and law, all of these disciplines (among many others) function in light of one another, with the consideration, cooperation and contribution of people from all over the world. As the world changes, so too, do our strategies and concepts. The code for ethical participation in this global community requires that people, above all, recognize one another—regardless of differences—and treat each other with mutually unreserved respect.
The Global Health Impact project (GHI) is an organization that works to extend access to essential medicines worldwide, with an emphasis on developing nations. GHI believes that everyone has a fundamental human right to health that generates rights to access these potentially life-saving medications. Through modeling different diseases like malaria and tuberculosis and the impact of different drug regimens on reducing these diseases, GHI is helping to extend these human rights to developing nations.
Sources:
Harari, Yuval N., et al. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harper Perennial, 2018.
Hassoun N. The Human Right to Health and the Virtue of Creative Resolve. In: Global Health Impact: Extending Access to Essential Medicines. Oxford University Press; 2020:36-58. https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780197514993.001.0001/oso-9780197514993-chapter-2.
