Police Brutality, Libertarianism, & Human Rights - Philosophy Tube | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Human rights should be understood as duties to organize social systems for secure access to the substance of rights, rather than individual interactions.

Key Insights

• 🗯️ The traditional view of human rights focuses on individual duties, while the institutional model emphasizes organizing social systems for secure access to rights.
• 🗯️ The institutional model provides a deeper understanding of human rights violations within existing legal frameworks.
• ❓ It highlights the extra moral reasons associated with official bodies that contribute to the severity of violations.
• 🗯️ The institutional model connects global economic systems to poverty as a human rights violation.
• 🌐 It challenges even libertarians to recognize the need for reform in global economic systems.
• 🗯️ The institutional model helps identify situations where access to the substance of rights is not secured, even without individual violations.
• 👻 It allows for a more comprehensive understanding of human rights language and its application to institutions.

Transcript

if the news is anything to go by then the police in the USA have an alarming habit of murdering black people my own government has been told by the European Court that denying all prisoners the vote is a human rights violation and apparently even FIFA is turning a blind eye to rights violations these are all very disturbing things and in light of t... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between the interactional and institutional models of human rights?

The interactional model focuses on individual duties to not harm others, while the institutional model emphasizes organizing social systems for secure access to the substance of rights.

Q: How does the institutional model explain human rights violations by the police or government?

The institutional model recognizes the extra moral reasons associated with official bodies like the police and government, making violations by these entities more significant.

Q: According to Pogge, how does poverty connect to human rights violations?

Pogge argues that global economic systems harm the poor and constitute a human rights violation, even from a libertarian perspective.

Q: Can the institutional model of human rights address issues like access to abortions?

Yes, the institutional model helps identify situations where technically there may be no individual human rights violations, but access to the substance of rights is not secured.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The traditional view of human rights is that they impose specific duties on individuals to not harm others.

• Thomas Pogge introduced the institutional model, arguing that human rights should be understood as duties to organize social systems for secure access to rights.

• The institutional model allows for better understanding of human rights violations that occur within the existing legal framework.

• The institutional model also highlights the connection between global economic systems and poverty as a human rights violation.