Ben Waber reviewed Not enough by Samuel Moyn
A Philosophy-Focused History
3 stars
This book tracks the development of ethical frameworks and then the concept of "human rights," splitting time between philosophical and historical developments. Moyn attributes an awful lot of influence to philosophers in recent decades, which seems like a massive overreach from my perspective. He does question that for a few paragraphs, but then quickly moves on. While very Western-focused early on, he does bring in some post-colonial African thought later. If you're interested in how philosophers are currently thinking about issues with the human rights framing, this is useful book.
This book tracks the development of ethical frameworks and then the concept of "human rights," splitting time between philosophical and historical developments. Moyn attributes an awful lot of influence to philosophers in recent decades, which seems like a massive overreach from my perspective. He does question that for a few paragraphs, but then quickly moves on. While very Western-focused early on, he does bring in some post-colonial African thought later. If you're interested in how philosophers are currently thinking about issues with the human rights framing, this is useful book.