Vol. XXXVIII / 1 - Studia Moralia

THE USE OF HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE 113
A semantic perspective
It has already been noted that the discourse of human rights
is peculiarly suited to the task of conducting campaigns for
political and social change in contemporary culture. What is it
that makes this phrase such a powerful polemical instrument in
public debate? An answer to this question must consider the
evolution and use of the term “human rights” at a semantic level,
that is to say at the level of the nuances and resonances with
which the term has become charged. The following brief fable
may help to illustrate this aspect of the issue:
Once upon a time there were two linguistic cells, one was called
“right” and the other was called “human”. From its humble
etymological origins as a merely spatial denominator, the word
“right” had developed into a moral adjective, that is to say an
adjective used to describe what is just and good. In the course of
this evolution the genes of the cell became charged with a colourful
range of linguistic chromosomes: justice, order, law, propriety and
so forth. At a certain point, the adjective “right” transformed itself
into a noun, first of an objective order (“Right”, with the capital R)
and later of a subjective order (natural rights). The semantic effect
of this process was that the word “right” took on a more positive
and concrete nuance.
The word “human”, on the other hand, was an adjective used
to indicate the biological characteristics of the species homo
sapiens. With the passing of time, however, “human” was no longer
content with a merely biological connotation and assumed a
broader anthropological cultural valency. So much so, indeed, that
the chromosomes of this cell became invested with virulent
linguistic chromosomes such as: person, subject, autonomy,
individual and dignity.
Then, one day, more than two hundred years ago, in the mind
of an unknown philosopher, the cell “right” met the cell “human”.
What a scene! The chromosomes justice, order and law embraced
those of person, dignity and autonomy. A new cell came to be,
product of the cross fertilization of these two rich semantic fields
and destined to capture the imagination of the modern world:
human rights. Und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann leben sie
noch heute..., (and they all lived happily ever after...)