Menschenrechte und menschliche Natur

摘要

A critical theory of human rights would have to combine normative arguments with a critique of ideology regarding obstacles of norm realization. For that purpose, it seems as if assumptions of anthropological generality are needed. Against Richard Rorty, it will be shown that a normative theory of human rights referring to images of human nature is in fact possible and necessary. To be sure, human rights can not be founded in ideas of man. Also, concepts of man are never independent of normative interests. Nevertheless, we need those images in order to gain basic dimensions of human rights’ content. The idea of man arising that way is the one of a uniquely vulnerable animal who therefore needs human rights.