Abstract
Human rights, as legally understood, must be safeguarded. This presupposes a state of law. The safeguarding of human rights further presupposes an independent judiciary applying the law in a community with common values and aspirations. The foundation of human rights is an individualistic philosophy dependent on the respect for truth and the possibility for the individual to attain it. The respect for the dignity of the human person is the result of a long historical development from this starting point.
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Dedicated to Helmut Coing
Translated by E. F. Kaelin.
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Perelman, C. The safeguarding and foundation of human rights. Law Philos 1, 119–129 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00143148
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00143148