The United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights
Preamble: Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people…”1
In this document, the international community—not by consensus, unfortunately—announced the rights guaranteed to every person. This reflects Locke’s ideas of inalienable rights. However, the premise of these rights was not just the individual rights to life, liberty, and property. Instead, the United Nations was specifically referring to the inherent dignity of every human being, an intrinsically Kantian idea. This demonstrates that, after the Second World War and the atrocities of the Holocaust, the international community sought to ensure that every human’s rights and dignity were respected and that this is the goal that humanity should aim for.
1. United Nations. 1948. Universal Declaration of Human Rights.