Ethical and Functional Foundations of Human Rights in the Eastern Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Fiqh and Law, Is.C. (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

10.22081/phlq.2025.71354.1103

Abstract

This study aims to identify the ethical and functional foundations of human rights within the framework of the Eastern approach by analyzing a set of perspectives, philosophies, and intellectual traditions that have developed in the East, particularly in the Asian continent. By identifying a range of ethical foundations through thematic structuring of sociological and legal sources, the present research employs thematic analysis as one of the widely used methods in qualitative research. Detailed datasets related to the ethical and functional foundations of human rights within the Eastern approach were extracted, and key patterns were vividly identified. The findings of the study indicate that the ethical foundations of human rights in the Eastern approach are primarily grounded in ethical and religious philosophies such as Confucian philosophy, Indian philosophical traditions, Buddhism, and Islamic human rights. These foundations possess both distinctive and, at times, overlapping features, which are analytically examined in this article. At the same time, the implementation and practical realization of each of these foundations encounter various challenges, including cultural differences, the influence of governmental policies, and social and economic inequalities. The practical analysis of these foundations requires careful consideration of cultural and historical differences within the Eastern approach
so that, through an understanding of such differences, the existing challenges can be effectively addressed and resolved. Human rights, as one of the fundamental concepts of the contemporary world, encompass a set of inherent, inalienable, and non-derogable rights and freedoms belonging to all human beings. These rights exist regardless of gender, religion, race, language, or nationality and are characterized by features such as inviolability, legal enforceability, protection and guarantee, universality, and inherent nature. Given that the Eastern approach to human rights embodies multidimensional perspectives shaped by culture, religious thought, history, political considerations, and social conditions across different periods, the ethical and functional foundations of human rights within this framework require careful and meticulous examination and reflection upon cultural and historical differences. Taking into account such diversity and complexity enables this approach to provide a more comprehensive and contextually appropriate interpretation of human rights. Furthermore, the distinctive orientation of the Eastern approach toward human rights—based on the aforementioned characteristics—represents a noteworthy perspective. One of its prominent features is the emphasis on community and social responsibilities. In contrast to the Western approach to human rights, which places greater emphasis on humanism and individualism, the Eastern perspective seeks to achieve a balanced outcome between the individual and the collective, thereby offering a more effective conceptual framework for the analysis of human rights.

Keywords

References

قرآن کریم.
دال، ژان (1372). پدیدارشناسى و فلسفه‌هاى هست‌بودن. ترجمه یحیى مهدوى. تهران: انتشارات خوارزمى.
دهخدا، علی‌اکبر (1373). لغتنامه دهخدا. تهران: انتشارات روزنه، چاپ دوم، ج9.
صدوق، ابو جعفر محمد بن علی (1417ق). الامالی. قم: تحقیق قسم الدراسات الإسلامیة، موسسة البعثة.
عابدی جعفری، حسن و همکاران (1390). تحلیل مضمون و شبکه مضامین: روشی ساده و کارآمد برای تبیین الگوهای موجود در داده‌های کیفی. اندیشه مدیریت راهبردی، 5(2).
عباسی، محمود (1395). حقوق بشر و چالش‌های فرهنگی (با تاکید بر جهان اسلام). تهران: انتشارات خرسندی.
فلسفی، هدایت‌الله (1374). تدوین و اعتلای حقوق بشر در جامعه بین‌المللی. تحقیقات حقوقی، شماره ۱۷-۱۶.
قاری سید فاطمی، سید محمد (1382). حقوق بشر در جهان معاصر. تهران: انتشارات دانشگاه شهید بهشتی.
گلن، جانسون (1378). اعلامیه جهانی حقوق بشر و تاریخچه آن. ترجمه محمدجعفر پوینده. نشر نی.
گواین، شاکتی (1371). تجسم اخلاق، تجسم خلاق. ترجمه گیتى خوشدل. انتشارات روشنگران و مطالعات زنان، چاپ دوم.
گواین، شاکتی (1373). زندگى در روشنایى. ترجمه مژگان بانو مومنى. انتشارات روزبهان.
مجلسی، محمدباقر (بی‌تا). بحار الانوار. قم: انتشارات اسلامیه، چاپ چهل و پنجم.
محمدپور، احمد (1390). روش تحقیق کیفی ضدّ روش (منطق و طرح در روش‌شناسی کیفی). نشر جامعه‌شناسان.
نصر، سید حسین (1388). فلسفه‌های شرقی و حقوق بشر. تهران: انتشارات سروش.
Balboni, T.A., Vanderwerker, L.C., Block, S.D., Paulk, M.E., Lathan, C.S., Peteet, J.R., Pregerson, H.G. (2007). Religiousness and spiritual support among advanced cancer patients and associations with end-of-life treatment preferences and quality of life. Journal of Clinical Oncology 25(5).
Bauer, J. R. & Bell, D. A. (Eds.). (1999). The East Asian Challenge for Human Rights. Cambridge University Press.
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology.
Carr, B.W. & Lewis, A.J. (Eds.). (2018). Human rights in Asia: A comparative study of the domestic human rights legal systems of twelve Asian jurisdictions, France and the USA. Carolina Academic Press.
Chan, J. (1999). A Confucian perspective on human rights. In: J.R. Bauer & D.A. Bell (Eds.), The East Asian challenge for human rights (pp. 212–239). Cambridge University Press.
De Bary, W.T. (1998). Asian Values and Human Rights: A Confucian Communitarian Perspective. Harvard University Press.
Donnelly, J. (2013). Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice. Cornell University Press.
European Convention on Human Rights (1950).
Freeman, M. (2011). Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Polity Press.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966).
Keck, M. E. & Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics. Cornell University Press.
Muller, P.S., Plevak, D.J. & Rummans, T.A. (2001). Religious involvement, spirituality, and medicine: implications for clinical practice. Mayo Clin Proc.
Pogge, T. (2008). World Poverty and Human Rights. Polity Press.
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992).
Ropp, R. & et al. (2013). The Persistent Power of Human Rights: From Commitment to Compliance. Cambridge University Press.
Scharf, B.R. (1973). The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart of Taoism through the Authentic Tao the Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang-Tzu,The Sociological study of Religion, Hutchinson.
Scharf, B.R. (1973). The Sociological study of Religion. Hutchinson University Library, London.
Sen, A. (1997). Human Rights and Asian Values. The New Republic.
Stcherbatsky, T.H. (1923). The Central Conception of Buddhism and the Meaning of the Word ‘Dharma. London: Royal Asiatic Society.
Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment (1972).
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
Weber, M. (1958). The Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism. Trans. H.H. Gerth & D. Martindale. Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press.
Journal of Philosophy of Law
Volume 4, Issue 2
October 2025
Pages 198-181

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 11 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 13 March 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics