This top 20 list is meant to provide a grounding for anyone unfamiliar, or only
vaguely familiar, with human rights philosophy. Even though the Rights
Philosophy Forum aims to keep all discussion jargon-free and open to lay
men and women, it’s no doubt easier to get a handle on an argument when
we understand where it's coming from.
This list is obviously short and arbitrary. For other famous philosophers in
ethics, political philosophy, and justice theory, see Classic Honorable
Mentions. For big names in the current human rights discussion, see The
Modern Debate. The goal in this top 20 section is simply to provide a jumping
off point for those who aren't sure where to begin.
Not all of these philosophers supported human rights. (Plato, for example,
argued strongly against them, using his own conception of justice.) But
they've all been major players in the fields of ethics and rights philosophy,
and their ideas are all still frequently kicked about. A rudimentary
understanding of their main tenets regarding ethics and justice theory is a
must for following many of the debates in human rights philosophy today.
Think of the resources here as a way to get your feet wet, or brush up the rusty
spots. Read the bios of these philosophers, and at least glance at some of
their major works. This won't give you the whole picture, but it's a good solid
start.
Layout
Under each philosopher you’ll find:
The Top 20:
(listed chronologically)
Pericles
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Hobbes
Locke
Hume
Rousseau
Kant
Paine
Bentham
Tocqueville
Mill
Marx
Nietzsche
Moore
Sartre
Berlin
Rawls
Nozick
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If you're in a real hurry to
get started and get up to
speed, start with these
three:
Kant
Bentham
play with variations on
their themes.
suggested reading list
for human rights
philosophy at
Amazon.com:
So you'd like to...
Master Human Rights
Philosophy...
Philosophy Forum editor Randy Walden.