An inconvenient reflection on human rights: Comments on Choi-Fitzpatrick’s article, “Disruption and Emergence”

Abstract

In response to Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick’s essay on the impending critical juncture for human rights, this essay contends that we are already experiencing this transformative moment. It critiques the current state of human rights scholarship for its shortsighted focus on present abuses, neglecting future challenges. The essay reframes his characterization of existential threats in terms of democratic backsliding, nonhuman rights, and emerging technologies, driven by unmet human rights promises, environmental harms, and technological advancements. It argues for a broader, pluralistic, and anti-anthropocentric approach to rights, encompassing humans and nonhumans alike. The essay challenges traditional human rights theory’s neglect of foundational questions about rights bearers, advocating for an inclusive, system-oriented perspective that decouples human supremacy from moral consideration. It calls for radically rethinking human rights scholarship to ensure its relevance and effectiveness in addressing 21st-century challenges.