Human Rights and Human Diversity (Philosophy of Human Rights)

Author: (American) Milne, translated by Xia Yong and Zhang Zhiming
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1995-03-01
Features: The translation of this book began at the end of 1989. Initially, I borrowed it from the Peking University Library out of interest in gaining general knowledge of the study of rights. After finishing it, I couldn’t put it down and decided to translate it. The translation work was divided between two people, who were also geographically separated. The first part was completed by the riverside of Yishui, while the second part was done in the wild forests outside Beijing, and the drafts were compiled in mid-summer of 1991. Later, due to participating in the translation of Law and Revolution, the project was postponed until now. I am grateful to the Foreign Law Editorial Committee, especially Mr. He Weifang and Ms. Du Xiaoguang, for providing valuable support and assistance for the publication of this book. I also thank Professor Shen Zongling of Peking University for offering guiding suggestions for the translation. While writing the review comments for the translation on behalf of the Foreign Law Editorial Committee, Mr. Shen also provided 26 specific improvement suggestions, allowing us the privilege of receiving his guidance once again. We also want to thank the original author, Professor Milne. He has given enthusiastic encouragement and support for the translation and publication of this book and has exchanged opinions with us on certain insights in the book on multiple occasions. He has also specially written a preface for Chinese readers, which enhances the translation and adds color to the original work. Professor Milne was born in England in 1922. During World War II, he served as an officer in the British army and was injured. After the war, he studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, earning his doctorate (1952), and then conducted postdoctoral research on ethics and political philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States. Professor Milne has held teaching positions at the London School of Economics in the UK, Queen’s University Belfast, the University of California in the United States, San Diego State University, and Durham University in the UK. He has also served as the president of the British Society of Legal and Social Philosophy (1983–1986). In terms of publications, Professor Milne’s other major works include: The Social Philosophy of English Idealism (Allen and Unwin, London, 1962), Freedom and Rights (Allen and Unwin, London, 1968), and The Right to Dissent: Essays in Political Philosophy (Avebury Press, London, 1983). This book is written by Professor Milne of Durham University in the UK, who was once president of the British Society of Legal and Social Philosophy (1983–1986). From the perspectives of moral, political, and legal philosophy, the author provides a comprehensive and profound exploration of the concept of human rights. He argues that human rights are a moral right, not a political right, and that the minimal human rights should include seven fundamental rights: the right to life, the right to fair treatment, the right to receive assistance, the right to freedom from arbitrary interference, the right to be treated honestly, the right to courtesy, and the right of children to be cared for. This book offers unique insights and thought-provoking perspectives, providing us with a new lens through which to understand human rights issues.