Università Roma Tre

Not without difficulties, various attempts are made to turn human rights into an indispensable point of reference for the evaluation of both the moral and the juridical legitimacy of the global political and economic order. However, unresolved theoretical issues regarding the justification and conceptualization of human rights challenge our comprehension of the matter. The course belongs to the disciplinary domain of political philosophy. Its general purpose is twofold: on the one hand, it sheds light on the ongoing philosophical debates on the unresolved theoretical issues surrounding the notion of human rights; on the other hand, it provides knowledge of how contemporary political philosophy deals with human rights. In particular, the course seeks to secure understanding of the ties between human rights, social justice, and liberal-democracy through the “theory of recognition” by Axel Honneth and the critical revision of “political liberalism” by Alessandro Ferrara. During the course, students will be required to read texts, discuss their content, and develop personal opinions as a means to critically exercise their learning and communication skills.