Summary: Human Rights and the Age of Inequality

In "Human Rights and the Age of Inequality," Samuel Moyn deals with the drastic mismatch between the
egalitarian crisis and the human rights remedy that demands not a substitute but a supplement. He
points out that the human rights regime and movement are simply not equipped to challenge global
inequalities.

Moyn opens the essay with a parable where he states about Croesus (last king of Lydia (reigned c. 560-
546), a wealthy king who thought himself as the most happiest of mortals. He desired his citizens
remained happy and free from all sort of sufferings but he had one problem that he didn't want to invest
his money to remove the sufferings of his people. He had collected his funds for himself which was later
controlled by the Persian King Cyrus the Great and his army. after he was being defeated. The author
associates this situation with modern world where inequality exists and available means and resources
are distributed in unequal way. The writer states that December 10 is celebrated as Human Rights Day
every year, there is no any steps forwarded for equal access of rights and property among rich and poor
in the world. There is only one solution to these all sort of obstacles: distributive equality but he finds it
is almost impossible in practical life or reality. According to the writer, writing the history of human
rights in relation to that of political economy involve two big stages.

The first was the heroic age of the national welfare states after World War II.

The second was the political economy ascended beyond the nation during 1940s.

Franklin Roosevelt issued his famous call for a second Bill of Rights" that included socio economic
protections in his State of the Union but it missed three most important facts: Provincial America's entry
into North Atlantic consensus; Promising freedom from want, and envisioning it everywhere in the
world. Human rights after 1940s suffered much as it followed favouritism and divided the world into two
groups mentioning US-led democratic nations and USSR-led communist nations resulting cold war. In
the same way, decolonization of the world during post war era could not bring desired development and
human rights among the nations since these states favoured 'national welfarism' instead of supporting
egalitarian (कुलमातस) human rights.
Samuel Moyn depicts an issue whether another human rights movement is necessary or not and then
cites the example of truth and reality mentioned in Herodotus' history which dealt with the need of
redistribution global socioeconomic justice under the pressure from the rich to poor. Though the human
rights activists argue that human rights assert equal freedom and rights to human beings in documents
and assure them but in fact it is not applied in present real life situations. Human beings won't receive
original and fruitful freedom and truthful rights until and unless this present economy and socio-political
structure exists. Thus, fair portion of distribution of wealth and property from rich to poor,
redistribution of means and resources, formulating and implementing laws for fair distribution of wealth
by the government and massive and radical movements are required for egalitarian society though
these all are impractical and inapplicable and very hard to take place in reality.

Above all, our common destiny is like that of the world of Croesus' world where rich enjoy the
happiness, freedom and everything to maximum level like the colonizers in British Raj while poor live in
the world of illusion with their floating equality and freedom.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Answer the following questions.

a. What is the first human rights declaration adopted by the United Nations?

Ans;The first human right declaration adopted by the United Nations is mobilization for the economic
and social rights.

b. When is Human Rights Day observed?

ans;Human Rights is observed on 10h December every year.

c.What is the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Ans;The goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is to provide a list of the most basic
entitlements or key values like fairness, dignity , equality and respect that humans deserve thanks to
being human itself. Furthermore, its aim is to assert foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the
world."

d. What are two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation that of political
economy?

ans; The two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political
economy are:

The heroic age of national welfare after World War II.

The bitter enemies of the new cold war era in 1948.

e.What are the facts that have been missed in Roosevelt's call for a "second

B of Rights?

Ans:There are three facts that have been missed in Roosevelt's call for a second Bill of Rights' which are
as follows:

First, i marked a characteristically provincial America's late and ginger entry into an already foreordained
North Atlantic consensus.

Second, his highest promise was not a floor of protection for the masses but the end of special privileges
for the few - a ceiling on inequality.
Lastly, Roosevelt certainly hoped it would span the globe but it was organized nationally, not
internationally.

f.Write the truth expressed in Herodotus's Histories.

Ans;The truth expressed in Herodotus' Histories is that global socio-economic justice, like local socio-
economic justice, would require redistribution under pressure from the rich to the poor by novel forms
of legal activism.

g. Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights important to you?

ans; Universal Declaration of Human Rights is important of me as it works in favour of all human beings
for their rights, justice, equality, equity by removing partiality injustice inequality, discrimination, and so
on from the society.