: : and that it is a purely European phenomenon. : Well, I don't know. To say that human rights are a Western conception is a little bit demeaning to Africans and Asians, don't you think. I think it is fairere to say that a concern for human rights developed in otehr places, but those who were concerned about human rights either 1) were in opposition to the prevvailing currents of society or 2) existed in small, tribal societies.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. What I mean is that individual liberalism as a philosophy grew up in Europe. You won't find this kind of philosophy even in places with long philosophical traditions, such as China - the conditions for such a set of ideas simply didn't exist.And the rugged individualist wouldn't last for long in African or Asian tribal societies. This doesn't mean that ideas of human rights and liberties can't be applied there now - but there do have to be certain pre-conditions if they are going to work.
None.
