scholarly journals Liberal democracy and the genetic supermarket: Autonomy and freedom in Jürgen Moltmann’s political theology and biotechnology

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 301
Author(s):  
Manitza Kotzé

In this article, the concept of “liberal democracy” and its implications for biotechnology such as human genetic engineering will be examined. Liberal democracy is characterised by a number of features, some of which has extensive repercussions on biotechnology, especially concepts such as the equal protection of human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, political freedom for all people and autonomy and libertarianism. Advocates of human genetic engineering for purposes other than the healing of genetically transmitted diseases often appeal to these features in the quest for its legalisation. I will examine whether the attributes of liberal democracy would indeed justify the use of this type of biotechnology and if yes, what a possible theological response would be, drawing on the political theology of Jürgen Moltmann.

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-108
Author(s):  
Maria Zmierczak

WACŁAW MAKOWSKI — A THEORIST AND PRACTITIONER OF POLISH AUTHORITARIANISM, PROTAGONIST OF TWO MONOGRAPHSThe article is an extensive discussion and comparison of books published by two authors in 2014, Grzegorz Ławnikowicz and Władysław T. Kulesza, devoted to the same figure from the inter-war period, Wacław Makowski. They present the political ideas of Makowski, a theorist of the state, who created a concept of social state, a state based on the solidarity principle, and, at the same time, was an opponent of liberal democracy based on the protection of human rights. Apart from bringing Makowski back from obscurity, the present author shows first of all how different two books on the same topic can be, a difference stemming from the research methodology applied, but probably also from the personality of the two authors. A rhetorical question remains whether the fact that two scholars explore the same topic for quite a while reflects well on communication between research centres in Poland.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Terrence L. Johnson

Abstract The late congressman John Lewis spent most of his political life engaging Black Power's commitment to economic and political freedom through a political vocabulary that aligned with his deeply held beliefs in nonviolence, human rights activism, and moral faith. The tension between the Black radical left and establishment Black politics dates back to Lewis's clash with elite Black leaders over the content of his prepared address for the 1963 March on Washington. The address provides a glimpse into Lewis's complicated political legacy. The youngest speaker at the March, Lewis faced the daunting task of both representing the political philosophy of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and meeting the expectations of established civil rights leaders. Negotiating the political interests of the organizers of the March alongside the demands of SNCC foreshadowed the congressman's political vocation: a lifetime of civil rights advocacy through a politics of respectability and Black Power's political philosophy of freedom and economic transformation. Lewis's political legacy is complicated; and yet, it was fueled by an unabashed commitment to Black freedom struggles, human rights activism, and racial reconciliation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
Farhod Khatamov ◽  

This scientific article analyzes the origin of the concept of "human rights", its historical evolution and role in the political development of society. Scientific conclusions were made by summarizing the interpretations of various periods and historical stages. The study also emphasizes that the protection of human rights and freedoms occupies a special place in the development of human civilization


2020 ◽  
pp. 7-25
Author(s):  
Marek Bielecki

The subject matter of the present paper is the analysis of particular normative solutions as well as the position of the judiciary and the interpretations of the doctrine in the scope of political freedom and rights that may be applied by a child. A child, as an entity equipped with the attribute of inherent and inalienable dignity, is a benefciary of the guarantees concerning the protection of human rights and freedoms proclaimed in both the national and international standards. Due to the existence of some objective obstacles such as age or developmental issues, certain rights cannot be fully applied by a child. While analyzing the indicated issues, the author of the study evaluates existing regulations as well as presents proposals for changes that could have a positive impact on children’s situation concerning the implementation of his/her political rights.


Author(s):  
Mariana Khmyz ◽  

The article reveals the role of the judiciary in the context of ensuring the protection of human rights and freedoms in terms of practical approach. It was found that ensuring the protection of human rights and freedoms in Ukraine is regulated by the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine «On the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine» and the Law of Ukraine «On Citizens' Appeals». It is established that in Ukraine judicial protection is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine, in particular in Article 55, according to which the rights and freedoms of man and citizen in particular are protected by the court. It is proved that the functioning of the constitutional mechanism for the protection of human rights and freedoms can occur only if the state actively participates in ensuring such rights and freedoms. It is determined that an important component of subjective human rights is the right to judicial protection, which should be realized not only in the direct dimension, but also through the activities of state bodies or bodies or organizations authorized by the state. It is established that the concept of «protection» from the standpoint of the legal aspect is interpreted as a legal obligation of the state in the face of bodies, organizations or officials authorized by it, and as the ability of a person to exercise personal subjective right. It was clarified that the concept of «protection of human rights and freedoms» should be interpreted as a set of measures of organizational and legal nature to ensure legal protection or remove obstacles that arise in the context of the exercise of subjective rights and rights to restore such rights, if they were violated with the application of measures on this basis in the form of punishment of the offenders. It is proposed under the mechanism of protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, in particular, to define a holistic, legally enshrined and at the same time dynamic system, which includes subjects, objects, methods and means of protection of human and civil rights and freedoms. to neutralize illegal obstacles, as well as to prevent the emergence of new obstacles. It is proved that the mechanism of protection of human and civil rights and freedoms in particular should consist of institutional and functional systems. It is noted that the prospects for further research in this area are to determine the requirements for the incompatibility of the position of a judge with other activities in a comparative constitutional and legal aspect.


Author(s):  
Parkinson Charles

This book analyzes the British Government's radical change in policy during the late 1950s on the use of bills of rights in colonial territories nearing independence. More broadly it explores the political dimensions of securing the protection of human rights at independence and the peaceful transfer of power through constitutional means. This book fills a major gap in the literature on British and Commonwealth law, history, and politics by documenting how bills of rights became commonplace in Britain' s former overseas territories. It provides a detailed empirical account of the origins of the bills of rights in Britain's former colonial territories in Africa, the West Indies, and South East Asia as well as in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It sheds light on the development of legal systems at the point of gaining independence and raises questions about the colonial influence on the British legal establishment's change in attitude towards bills of rights in the late 20th century. It presents an alternative perspective on the end of Empire by focusing upon one aspect of constitutional decolonization and the importance of the local legal culture in determining each dependency's constitutional settlement and provides a series of empirical case studies on the incorporation of human rights instruments into domestic constitutions when negotiated between a state and its dependencies. More generally, this book highlights Britain's human rights legacy to its former Empire, and traces the genesis of the bills of rights of over thirty nations from the Commonwealth.


2008 ◽  
Vol 90 (869) ◽  
pp. 91-117
Author(s):  
John P. Pace

AbstractThe aftermath of the invasion of Iraq set unprecedented challenges to the United Nations in the political and in the human rights spheres. Since the first involvement of the United Nations under Security Council Resolution 1483 (2003), the United Nations, through its assistance mission (UNAMI), has provided support to the process of transition from a military occupation resulting from an unlawful invasion to a fully sovereign and independent state, an objective yet to be fully achieved. The article looks at this trajectory from the angle of the involvement of the Security Council, the legal context, the protection of human rights and the striving for reconciliation, sovereignty and inclusiveness.


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