auning "These wend and serveur biases need o beundertod and acepted a= 2 bass fo poiey formulation. Not identifying them or subsuming them in framework that obscure them vweskens On the Cardinal policy pre- scriptions "Another area which the author shircaround ithe nature of technolo trial. Is the smart cad inherent eral so that can be pt 0 both good use and bad, o i ic designed ‘vith certain poll festoresin bil ‘Will consumers develop dependen: cer onthe rechnology that wil affect thei ably wo make fee choices come time in the nar? Ineo what ort of technologieal or eocal system de "Tobefsit answers wo these funda mental sie ate perhaps the subject cof another type of bok, cenaialy nt an advocacy book, Howerer, ont rust be enutious in accepting what appears wo be an atwacve solution Irsed on ales ha expici account “information eocery. Despite this (Om the Candis anaccenile tex cov ering some very complex sues. provides a good introducsion vo sue Involved in law and technology and advocates acoureof ction that could vwel be atractive to many govern {ents in the near acre. Wh tot the lghthanded regultory ap proach furthers the principles on ‘which eis bated remains to be sen Reviewed by Richard Jose ‘Department of Information ‘and Communication Technology, University of Wollongong ~~ The Age of Rights by Norberto Bobbio, sranslated by Allan Cameron, Polity Pres, Cambridge, 1996, 168pp., ISBN 0 7456 1595.3 (pbk, $39.95. Bobbio is an Tedian academe and socialscwhose wide-ranging workover more than thingy years sermarkable fori intllecaal honey, humaniy, and opposition to dogmatism. He now Man’ wrcings Beer than the iolter, and hat bers penetratngly au: Od ra Sa cca ofthe, Bobbi stemperament is liberal and democratic, combined vith an srachmene to soc justice deed, Marx vies with John Swat Mil fo supremacy in hs work Such charceriaie ate not lace ing in The eof Righs—the last of Bobbio's works ro be published in English — but ie some repens 2 dlisppoinument The major pointe ate ineesting, leary pus, and worthy of consideration, though none could be ‘counted otginal. But the cllecion does Bobbio» diseric by grouping together ess (ihe ears of which ‘was orginally published in 1964) hich subseansally epee each other Teis no surprize thar Bobbio haere med sna tase ver the yeas 69 hesame themes. good editor, how- er, would have been more igorous inher choices one ey o err in ‘achofthe hee Part would probably fave been suficient co eepresene his argument fil “The books ten ries and leo cures on human Sighs are onganited inea three Parts. The fst center om Bobbio’ cairn char human sights ate hisorcl, oe narra the econ i cues human sights and the French Revolution of 1789; the third con tain wo epson che desth penal. “Thekistoreal nrure ofan rights, Bobbio believes, should no diminish their significance: the underlying and ‘onsen cheme of the bookie that the development of human sights is ensure of humanity's moral progress. ‘Bobbio anes that human rights Dave developed over tie, and that creryatemptto ground dhem in some sbeolue principle as proved fries, He doesnot pretend fo oer another solution. Rather, he thinks the really important problem lies elsewhere The fundamen problem concern- inghaman rightsrodayisnotsomech how wo justify them, But how wo ro them. This problem i polisal, noc philosophical (p10), Human sights have developed through cree major generations the fighe to liber, pola ight and ‘il rights Bobbio regard the Uni versal Dedaration of Human Rights of 1948 in patcular,asanimporane tile inthis proces. Yer he ree fognises that asthe scope of human fighe grows, their application be- comes complicated, fo fundamental right sometimes ~ ofen ~ compete swith other fundamental rights Though human rghes may have be come ill define, vzsbe, and eco Spine Poy 593geneous, Bobbio does nor cite ‘heirprlifation, nor dace here 0 solve these problems (eeing chem again as. politiel, rsther than philosophical). He insies thar the Alebace which accompanies euch competition between rights is impor. ‘Bobbi's view ofthe French Rev con iia focused onthe Decl ration ofthe Rights of Man and Ci en. He argues chat it war 2 major developmentin human firs because ie put the question of aman rights a¢ the centre of poll concerns and thus paved che way for modern, indi vidlitéc democracy (One should discus dose who advocate an an indivinalc concep of sci (. 90). Inspired by Kane's noson of ‘prophetic history, Bobbio separds the Revoluion (ora lease ts Aug 1789 phase) a a sgn of humanicy’s sora progres. Prophetic historians however can only ras the shield of hope sina how crite whe remind them ofthe darker sderand decidedly sized reals ofthe Revelation: the apparently mundane American Revo lton may havefirmorevocornmend Finally, Bobbio eplorestherange and history of argumencs agains the death pele, expecially chose com- ‘emingits justice and uty Asin the other Parts, he acknowledges that Some arguments te more convincing han cher ina polical raher chan philsophical sense, Philosophical ‘one is decisive. Yer he opposes the death penly on dhe grounds of the ‘omomandment not eo kil ~ he hime self can find nothing more convine- ing. And while individuals sometimes breach chie commandment, legal murder i fir wore chan murder by Viling the sesponse by 3 sate to ‘murderers and eiminalin genera A measere ofits himaniy. The dsp pearance of the death penaly i thus for Bobbie a sign of human progress. St Pale sping 96 ‘Thiscollecion isusefulin helping to lary some complex questions er pecially by explaining their hisoicl development. What is perhaps most Airing abou ite Bobbio hones ‘git is plain tha he is commited ro cena flues, and wo a conception oF ‘he mona progress of humanity, but ‘more than once he confesses chee does not know howto farther this progres. An imporant Ison, which Bobbio docs nat draw, concerns the liieatione of police. Tn summary, nei looking for philosophical anay- ‘es and jsifcations of rman tight, thisienortheplce to find them. Aran count, and an elution, of the development of human rights and Ucirpolscal salience, however, it makes a choughful contibution. Reviewed by David W. Lovell, University College, Universit i New’ South Wales, “~~ Migrations and Cultures: A World View by Thomas Sowell, Basie Books, New York, 1996, 516pp. ISBN 0-465-04588-X, $45. “This very wel wien analysis of the history of migration. Following Sowells Race and Clr, Migration: ‘end Calbrccuseson the experiences ‘of six migrane groups, he Japanese, ‘Chinese, Germans, eins, Jews and ans, ‘This book dhustates how migration has benefited both the rmigants and thei new counties. ‘That gran nonallyacheve a high sandar of living, within «gen- craton or 0 ir not cursing, frit sully she major retonformgraing In de fe place “The benefits of migration forthe recipient countey are les obvious Sowell’ underlying thesis that oul- furs vary and have comparative ad ‘vantages in dfleent arese This a= ‘ion means thatthe clu divesiy reslkng fom egraton willead 03 {ain orall. Inaddivon since cures emote they can become tong ex by adopsng the succesfl cats of the culeuresatound cher. Tt should be noted that Sowell ong emp Sc cular, rather than eal of a ‘onal, characteris, Sowell illustrates these gains ttuough his discussion of the i mi gran groups, Islians have wadicon- Ally emphasised the family and hard “works enabling them eo provide che locals with improved levels of sevice In contrast Germans emphasised ed cation and technical skills enabling them vo develop new manufcrsing industries However, the mor si ces migranes hve been the waders “the Chinese, the Gara Indine andthe Jews, who have al rien pide ly to potions of comparative wealth ‘Their trading has aio significa improved opportunites fer he locas by providing them with cheaper and beter finance, more sophisticated re ralneoworks, and fr gestes level of coneumner choice and servic “The cultural determinant of co somiesuczsshave been so oversding ‘hac many migrant groups have been succes despite safering great po- lca averiny. The Jews, thelndine in Affi, andthe Japanese in North ‘America all provide examples of the Tong tem itlevance of polis (his ‘ofcourse doesnot ply that che ul fering and prin caused by poltce should be ignored), Indeed when iigrant groups have been politealy secve they have norabwayr aed sie town cause. “An example of this i