"Ralph C. Hancock, a Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University, articulates this tension in his translation and commentary on Pierre Manent's book, Natural Law and Human Rights. He notes that the human rights ideology is universalist in its claim to apply to all human beings, yet relativist in its rejection of any objective or transcendent standard of human nature to ground those rights"

AI Overview

Ralph C. Hancock, a Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University, articulates this tension in his translation and commentary on Pierre Manent's book, Natural Law and Human Rights. He notes that the human rights ideology is universalist in its claim to apply to all human beings, yet relativist in its rejection of any objective or transcendent standard of human nature to ground those rights. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Concepts from Hancock's Analysis

• Universalist Pretense: The modern human rights ideology asserts that rights are innate, self-evident, and apply universally to all people simply because they are human. [1]
• Relativist Foundation: Hancock and Manent argue that this seemingly absolute universalism relies on a relativist foundation. Rights are ultimately based on the individual's subjective will and autonomy, rather than on a shared, objective understanding of the human good or a divine order. [1, 2]
• The Result: Because this ideology abstracts rights away from any specific moral or cultural "truth" (other than the right to choose for oneself), it claims to protect everyone but lacks a concrete framework for what constitutes human flourishing. [1, 2, 3, 4]