Politics, Economics and Society

We perceive ourselves to be bearer of basic rights by virtue of being human. The purpose of these basic rights is to protect our autonomy, our ability to advance interests, satisfy basic needs and express our subjectivity, so that we can live a life that is as decent and good as possible. It is difficult to imagine our society without the system of basic rights that forms the foundation of social, economic, cultural, legal and political relations in the West since the 18th century. Therefore, the issue of basic rights will serve us as the prism through which we will look at different modern concepts of human nature, needs, ethics, law and the state.

The course will focus on classic texts that articulate the modern Western concept of basic rights, from the right to life and security of person through the right to liberty and property to the right to the pursuit of happiness. Along with discussions of the context and logic of these basic rights that were designed primarily to protect the individual against state intervention we will also address the concept of basic political rights, whose aim to allow participation in public life, such as the right to vote and be elected. Furthermore, we will discuss prominent criticisms of concepts of basic rights. Lastly, we will examine how collective rights, aimed at protecting the existence of different cultural frameworks, were added to individual basic rights.