Mission Statement
Many of the practical problems associated with human rights—
from civil rights violations, to genocide, to international
intervention—stem from fundamental disagreements about ethical
philosophy.
The Rights Philosophy Forum aims to nurture understanding of
competing philosophies, and to encourage everyone involved in the
human rights debate to continually refine, strengthen, and even
overhaul their own arguments when necessary. At the same time,
the RPF hopes to cultivate a sense of cooperation and tolerance in
the discussion of human rights philosophy, and to promote a
healthy, fruitful interchange of ideas between peoples and
countries holding vastly different viewpoints.
Focus on philosophy:
Any human rights theory must face real-world challenges. It can’t
lounge in the clouds counting angels on pinheads. But the focus of
the Rights Philosophy Forum is not to chronicle rights abuses or to
champion human rights causes. Real-life examples certainly
provide life and breath to philosophical debate, and can highlight
strengths or weaknesses in a particular philosophy. But the RPF
will focus primarily on the underlying ethical theories used to decide
human rights issues, from personal relationships, to constitutional
debates, to international foreign policy.
History
The Rights Philosophy Forum was officially launched in May of
2005 (check out the original press release). The RPF was created
by Randy Walden, who is also the editor and host, with technical
advice and graphic design generously provided by Robert Jackson
at Jaxon Design.
