The Notion of Person: a Reappraisal from the Side of Human Rights

My aim here is to defend the plausibility of identifying the subject of human rights through the concept of "moral person", by reflecting on the inherent connection between the concept of person and that of human rights in their moral dimension, that is in the light of an "ethics" of human rights, an ethics in which human rights represent the fundamental moral values

What moral theory for human rights? Naturalization vs. denaturalization.

The United Nations universal declaration of 1948 celebrated the belief in human rights as a great moral value. But what does ‘the belief in human rights’ precisely mean? What exactly are human rights? Admitting that human rights exist may cause difficulties for certain moral thoeries and raise various questions. Some questions concern the problem of the justification of human rights: are these grounded on nature, that is on something unalterable and absolute, or are they the product of history and social life? The various theories of human rights answer these questions differently. This paper, therefore, examines the controversial question of the justification of human rights by comparing the two main forms of argument which are developed by the predominate theories of human rights: naturalization and denaturalization. After showing the advantages and disadvantages of these rival arguments, the author draws some conclusions regarding the issue of justification of concepts, such as the concept of human rights, on which our present social life appears to be intrinsically based

Il confine permeabile: la negoziazione del confine animali-umani

The paper is devoted to a re-examination of the issue of the Human-Animal boundary in the light of the idea that the boundary has been renegotiated every time humans has perceived a challenge to their supremacy in the hierarchy of beings. By making reference to the Darwinian framework and also to the reflections developed by the philosopher and anthropologist Raymond Corbey in his book The Methaphysics of Apes. Negotiating the Animal-Human Boundary, the paper invites to focus the attention to the necessity of reestablishing some balance between humans and animals by doing reference to the quality of life of all living beings

In defense of moral rights

The Universal declaration of 1948 celebrated the belief in human rights as a great moral value. But what does this belief mean exactly? What are human rights precisely? Admitting the existence of human rights may cause difficulties for the moral theories involved and raise many problems. The problem of justification is particularly relevant: are human rights grounded on nature, that is on something unalterable and absolute, or are they the product of history and social life? Different moral theories of human rights give different answers. This paper, therefore, tries to investigate the controversial question of the justification of human rights by comparing the two main positions forwarded in proof of their existence, naturalization and denaturalization, which are developed inside the main moral theories of human rights. After showing the advantages and disadvantages of these rival arguments, some conclusions are drawn that could throw some light on the question of the justification of a concept, such as that of human rights, on which our present social life appears to be intrinsically based

Apprezzare l’ambiente naturale come ‘altro da sé’ . La bellezza e l’esistenzialità come alternative alla rabbia e all’invidia nei confronti dell’animalità

Animals and, more generally, the natural environment, may be seen as something radically different from our existence as subjects. According to some views, this radical alterity between human beings as linguistic creatures and the natural environment can result only in a negative relation in which the animal dimension is anhilated. In this paper we try to show that the radical autonomy of the natural dimension from the linguistic subjects can result in positive forms of relationship. Natural objects, including animals, can be appreciated for their separateness from the human world as objects of beauty and reverence

Animal welfare and Ethics course for post-graduate at Veterinary School: how to improve assessment methodologies with a bottom up approach

[EN] Animal Welfare, with its strong ethical component, is increasingly central to public debate and in all sectors dealing with animals has become a key expertise to acquire. This paper presents a post-graduate level course on animal welfare and ethics assessment delivered by the Veterinary School of Padua University, Italy. The course was delivered at Garda Zoological Park, Italy, allowing students to do an experience with wildlife in a peculiar management system. Teachers used an inquiry-based approach to lead students ‘construct’ their experience in welfare assessment. At the end of the course students, divided into groups, had to develop a protocol for the assessment of the animal welfare of a species in the zoo. The analysis of these final works and a pre-test and post-test questionnaires were used to assess the effectiveness of the course. Results highlighted a growing awareness of the complexity of assessment methodologies and more attention on animal based indicators. Students found difficulties using a bottom-up approach but were satisfied at the end of the course. Improvements can be done to promote reflections on reasons to assess animal welfare and its ethical component, on the utility of such assessment and on a balanced use of tools and methodologies.Ferrante, L.; Normando, S.; Florio, D.; De Mori, B. (2017). Animal welfare and Ethics course for post-graduate at Veterinary School: how to improve assessment methodologies with a bottom up approach. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1147-1155. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.55351147115