Human rights in politics: observations on minimalism, conflict and deliberation

Abstract

With the essay "Human Rights: Ethics, Rhetoric, and Politics", Lilian Bermejo-Luque explores the controversial aspects of the human rights debate, proposing some conditions through which they could represent a positive element of political life. In particular, Bermejo-Luque proposes the thesis of political minimalism, associated, on the one hand, with the idea that the essence of politics does not reside in conflict, and on the other hand, with a conception of political deliberation based on empirical considerations connected to what communities consider of particular importance. This paper intends to offer some food for thought along the line of reasoning proposed by Bermejo-Luque: firstly by presenting some observations on political minimalism, related to the weight of representation in politics and the complexity of certain political phenomena; this is followed by a reflection on conflict and the importance of justifying political choices to citizens, for which it seems difficult to establish boundaries on what is purely concrete and practical and what instead involves ethical considerations.