Of the many components of the idea of cosmopolitanism listed at the end of the Introduction, I want in this chapter to explore the philosophical foundations of the following:

1. (4) respect for basic human rights as universally normative;

2. (5) acknowledging the moral equality of all peoples and individuals;

3. (6) respect for the peoples of the world as united by reason, sociability and a common humanity; and

4. (7) belief in a globally acceptable concept of human dignity.

The discourse of rights has very wide currency today and is an inescapable aspect of debates in international relations. As I mentioned in the Introduction, the most important articulation of the idea of human rights is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) proclaimed by the UN in 1948. The UDHR does not have the force of law but it does express an international consensus on the social and political aspirations of the members of the UN after the horrors of the Second World War. Since then, there have been legally binding agreements such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966).