The Protection and Development of the Human Spirit: An Expanded Focus for Human Rights Discourse

Human rights discourse would be enriched by a greater focus on the conditions that are necessary for the protection, development, and refinement of the human spirit. This essay outlines a rational account of the notion of the human spirit and endeavors to show that the human spirit provides an appropriate focus for human rights concerns because it embodies the intrinsic value of the human person, provides an ontological basis for the oneness and interdependence of humankind, and defines those capacities of consciousness upon which the future of civilization depends.