Law, morality, and the existence of human rights

  • Robert Alexy Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel
Keywords: human rights, justification, moral, positivism, relativism

Abstract

In the debate between positivism and non-positivism the argument from relativism plays a pivotal role. The argument from relativism, as put forward, for instance, by Hans Kelsen, says, first, that a necessary connection between law and morality presupposes the existence of absolute, objective, or necessary moral elements, and, second, that no such absolute, objective, or necessary moral elements exist. My reply to this is that absolute, objective, or necessary moral elements do exist, forhuman rights exist, and human rights exist because they are justifiable.

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References

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Bibliografía del traductor

Alexy, Robert (2010), A Theory of Legal Argumentation. The Theory of Rational Discourse as Theory of Legal Justification, Oxford, Reino Unido, Oxford University Press.

Alexy, Robert (1978), Theorie der Juristischen Argumentation. Die Theorie des rationalen Diskurses als Theorie der juristischen Begründung, Suhrkamp, Fráncfort del Meno.

Published
07-12-2018
Section
Traducción