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| Neb English Support Class 12 |
Section 2: Literature (Essays)
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality Exercise | Samuel Moyn
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality
MAIN INTRODUCTION
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality Samuel Moyn
"This essay, 'Human Rights and the Age of Inequality,' is by Samuel Moyn, an American scholar. He points out the gap between global inequality and human rights, arguing they offer support but not a full fix. Moyn suggests human rights act as a supplement, not a substitute, providing aid yet falling short of true equality".
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality Samuel Moyn
"This essay, 'Human Rights and the Age of Inequality,' is by Samuel Moyn, an American scholar. He points out the gap between global inequality and human rights, arguing they offer support but not a full fix. Moyn suggests human rights act as a supplement, not a substitute, providing aid yet falling short of true equality".
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Today, in this article, I’ve brought you the fifth important essay from Class 12. Since I’ve made this essay very detailed, I request you to read it fully. This article contains:
1. Detailed Summary Part-wise
2. Textbook's Exercise (Q&A)
ABOUT THE ESSAY
This essay, "Human Rights and the Age of Inequality" is a highly significant work written by American author Samuel Moyn. The author, Samuel Moyn, is a professor of history and international law at Harvard University.
His essay was published in 2015 and is based on his 2018 book "Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World."
Moyn has also written a famous book, "The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History," which he published in 2010.
In this essay, he talks about the huge gap between human rights and the global inequality we see today, arguing that the current inequality cannot be solved just by human rights.
The main point of this essay is that human rights alone aren’t enough to address world's inequality. According to Samuel Moyn, human rights focus on basic freedoms and protection but don’t offer any solid solution to reduce the big gap between the rich and the poor. He feels there’s a great need for egalitarianism and distributive equality-meaning fair distribution between the rich and the poor - in today’s world, which is missing from the current human rights system.
MAIN THEME
In this essay, we find egalitarianism as the main theme. Egalitarianism emphasizes ensuring equal rights, opportunities and access to resources for all people. The author says that it’s a need of our time, where there’s so much inequality among people. The rich have more than they need, while the poor don’t even have enough to eat. Filling this big gap, egalitarianism is very useful. It can bring equality to the world because it demands distributive equality, where wealth and resources are fairly shared between the rich and the poor. In today’s world, just charity and rights written on paper aren’t enough - there needs to be a limit set on inequality. According to Samuel Moyn, the principle of egalitarianism is the last option to bring equality to the world, but it’s absent in the current human rights system.
The author believes human rights only help on the surface, like providing food and freedom, but they can’t fully remove inequality. Human rights are just a "supplement" (extra help), not a "substitute" (full solution), because they aren’t enough to close the gap between the rich and the poor.
SUMMARY PART-WISE
Part 1: Introduction and the Croesus Example
This essay "Human Rights and the Age of Inequality" begins with a small story from the famous book "Histories" written by the great ancient Greek historian Herodotus. Herodotus is called the Father of History because he wrote the world’s first history book in the 5th century BCE.
In the essay, Samuel Moyn starts with a story from Herodotus’ book, which is connected to Croesus. This story makes us think about inequality in ancient times and links it to today’s world.
Now, let’s hear Croesus’ story:
There was a king in the land of Lydia named Croesus. He was very wealthy -so wealthy that his gold and riches amazed everyone. People called him the happiest king in the world because he had everything. His kingdom was very large.
Croesus was also kind-hearted. He wanted to protect his people from hunger and poverty. He arranged food, water, medicine, and even paid leave for everyone so no one would suffer greatly.
But here’s the thing - he didn’t want to share his wealth with everyone. He stayed above as a king, while his people remained below. He didn’t like oppression, war, or torture, and he valued social rights. But one thing was missing from his mind -that was filling or removing the big gap between the rich and the poor.
Sadly, one day, the Persian army attacked his country, and he was defeated in war. The Persian king Cyrus took all his gold and riches.
Now tell me, what lesson does this story teach us all? The lesson to remember here is that just giving charity doesn’t make everyone equal; equality between the rich and the poor is also needed.
Now, let’s compare this story with the present world.
Comparison of Croesus’ Charity and the Modern World:
Croesus’ charity: Croesus was a very generous king, but his charity didn’t remove the gap among his people, and this inequality became even clearer after his defeat.
Human rights declaration: In today’s world, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) also promises food, water, health, and freedom for all people. It works like charity globally, and Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on December 10. But it hasn’t been able to remove the big gap between the rich and the poor.
The gap of inequality: Just like in Croesus’ time, today the rich hold a lot of wealth, while the poor get very little. Croesus tried to make his people happy with charity, but equality didn’t come in his rule. Similarly, human rights provide basics, but the distance between the rich and the poor remains the same.
Conclusion:
The gap that existed in Croesus’ time is still the same in today’s modern world. Both tried to do good, but they couldn’t bring full equality. This shows us the need for egalitarianism, which demands the fair distribution of wealth and resources.
Part 2: Human Rights and the Era of National Welfare
In this part, Samuel Moyn explains the history of human rights and political economy by dividing it into two big phases. The first phase is the "era of national welfare state" that started after World War II. During this time, human rights began to include a small part of social and economic rights. For example, Western countries started understanding the importance of welfare to keep people healthy and happy. In 1944, American President Franklin Roosevelt proposed the "Second Bill of Rights" which dreamed of freedom and equality - like everyone getting good jobs and homes. But this plan stayed limited within his own country. America was slow to act, emphasized freedom, and forgot about global equality. So, full egalitarianism wasn’t seen in this phase because welfare alone couldn’t remove the big difference between the rich and the poor.
Part 3: The Challenge of Inequality and the Search for Solutions
In this part, Samuel Moyn tells us all something big - he says human rights can’t solve inequality. He uses an example from Herodotus’ history, saying there’s a need to distribute wealth from the rich to the poor, which can’t happen with just a shameful step. This doesn’t mean the rich should share willingly; it’s about a big change. Human rights help on the surface by providing food and freedom, but it’s not a full solution. In his view, human rights are just a "supplement" - extra help - that needs to work with other methods, not a "substitute" or full fix. For example, if you’re hungry, human rights give you food, but it doesn’t remove the big difference between the rich and the poor.
Looking at the 20th century, fear and reformism played a role when inequality decreased. Back then, the fear of war and reform efforts brought some balance to society. In today’s world, the principle of egalitarianism becomes important, demanding fair distribution of wealth and resources for equality. But the current human rights movement can’t fight market dominance, and the lack of egalitarianism makes this problem even more complex. This means the market makes the rich richer and leaves the poor behind. So, he sees the need for a new movement based on egalitarianism. This movement can bring new plans to end the inequality between the rich and the poor.
Part 4: Conclusion and a New Movement
In the conclusion, Moyn highlights the need for another human rights movement. He says the current movement is individualistic and anti-state, which can’t face inequality. The principle of egalitarianism plays a key role here because it encourages concrete steps to end the inequality between the rich and the poor. The world of Croesus, where the rich are happy and the poor are confused, is our shared fate, but egalitarianism can change this situation. He suggests the new movement should take a different form.
This way, this essay has taught us the importance of equality and shown the need for a new movement in today’s world. Egalitarianism is considered suitable for equality in the future.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Human Rights and the Age of Inequality by Samuel Moyn
BEFORE READING THE TEXT
Discuss the following questions.
a. How do you define human rights?
Answer:
We define human rights as rights that have moral principles or norms for certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. These rights are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
b. Do you know about the constitution? How does the Constitution of Nepal guarantee human rights?
Answer:
Yes, I do. The constitution is a formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institution. The Constitution of Nepal guarantees human rights by providing various rights to the citizens of Nepal. The Constitution of Nepal 2072 has mentioned various fundamental rights for all Nepalese people in Articles 16–46. These articles include freedom for all citizens to live with dignity, freedom of speech and expression, religious and cultural freedom, the right against untouchability and discrimination etc.
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ALL ESSAYS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions.
a. What is the first human rights declaration adopted by the United Nations?
Answer:
The first human rights declaration adopted by the United Nations is the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (UDHR). It was passed by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. It is based on 30 articles and guides the protection of equal rights, freedom, and dignity for all people.
b. When is Human Rights Day observed?
Answer:
Human Rights Day is observed every year on "December 10".
c. What is the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Answer:
The goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is to give all people a free and equal life with basic rights and dignity.
d. What are two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political economy?
Answer:
The two big stages that involve writing the history of human rights in relation to that of political economy are as follows:
1. The era of national welfare after World War II.
2. The rise of political economy in the 1940s.
e. What are the facts that have been missed in Roosevelt’s call for a “second Bill of Rights”?
Answer:
The facts that have been missed in Roosevelt’s call for the "Second Bill of Rights" are:
1. America’s delayed entry
2. The promise of freedom
3. It being limited to the national level.
f. Write the truth expressed in Herodotus’s Histories.
Answer:
The truth expressed in Herodotus’s Histories is that inequality of wealth causes problems, and distribution is necessary. The concept of wealth redistribution often requires extreme force, not just moral arguments. The wealthy king of Lydia "Croesus" and his parable is a fine example. He wanted his citizens to be happy and free from all kinds of sufferings. But he had a problem; he did not want to invest his money to eradicate the suffering of his people. He had collected a lot of wealth for himself, but after being defeated, his whole possession, as well as his wealth, was controlled by the Persian king Cyrus the Great and his army.
g. Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights important to you?
Answer:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is important to me because it’s the foundation of equal rights and dignity for all, created by the United Nations in 1948. It shows dreams of ending hunger, injustice, and lack of freedom, but it also inspires me to seek solutions for inequality.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. Does the essay give ways on how to stigmatize inequality? Explain.
Answer:
The essay "Human Rights and the Age of Inequality” doesn't give ways to stigmatize inequality, but it discusses some ideas about the stigmatization of inequality.
Most of all, history suggests they are the wrong kind of agent: not fearful enough to provoke redistribution. If inequality increases like this, someday opponents will arise, so it is better to maintain equality and justice in society. Social equality and emancipation can be justified by forming a new kind of human rights movement to shake the common people. The humanitarian side of all human beings requires proper supervision and monitoring, supporting stakeholders, making stricter laws, removing favouritism, and maintaining justice and equality. Inequality is considered a stigma for society as it creates discord and conflict among the people, so it needs proper balance.
Or
Answer in Short:
No, the essay doesn't give ways on how to stigmatize inequality. It puts forward a statement that the current human rights movement isn’t much effective in fighting global inequality. It suggests that we need a new kind of human rights movement which is mainly focused on redistributing wealth and power among all so that the gap between rich and poor can be filled up with equality.
b. Is another human rights movement necessary? Why?
Answer:
Yes, another human rights movement is necessary because the essayist feels that human rights are operating under constrained political repression in human affairs. He wants to see another human rights movement in the coming days for the following reasons:
▪︎ Political and social hegemony are still widely prevalent.
▪︎ There is inequality prevalent everywhere in human affairs.
▪︎ People's rights and laws are limited in the pages of the constitution but not in practical behaviour.
▪︎ The unfair favouritism of one person or group is seen in a very wide range.
▪︎ There has been a violation of laws everywhere. Most powerful people have been found to misuse laws.
▪︎ Rights and justice are needed for all human beings, whether rich or poor, upper class or lower class.
Or
Answer in Short:
Yes, another human rights movement is necessary because the current movement of human rights in the world doesn’t address prevailed global economic inequality. A new movement is needed especially to focus on redistributing wealth and power to reduce this extreme global inequality.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. What are the challenges in maintaining human rights in Nepal?
Answer:
Human rights are the rights that are defined as moral principles or norms for certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. These rights are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
These rights are called the basic rights that all citizens get in different countries. In the lives of human beings, these rights play a very vital role. In every aspect of life, human rights make sure that citizens are not discriminated against based on their gender, colour, property, caste, etc.
In the context of Nepal, our constitution has guaranteed human rights by providing various rights to its citizens. The Constitution of Nepal 2072 has mentioned various fundamental rights for all Nepalese people in Articles 16 - 46. These articles include freedom for all citizens to live with dignity, freedom of speech and expression, religious and cultural freedom, the right against untouchability and discrimination, etc. In addition to basic human rights, children and women have rights according to their needs. In Nepal, human rights violations are causing a lot of backlash due to the political instability in the country. Major human rights violations were experienced when the Maoist group was fighting against the king and the monarchy for 10 years. Current human rights issues include poverty, education, inequality, violations of child rights, etc. To this end, Nepalese security forces worked meticulously in places often beyond the reach of civilian control. Nepal also faces many other challenges in maintaining human rights, such as discrimination, global inequalities, weak institutions, armed conflict and violence, and diversity of democracy.
Everyone should understand the concept of equality and should not be afraid to exercise their rights in their country. The human rights situation in Nepal is much better now than before, but there is still a long way to go for the development of equality and fraternity.
The main challenging factors in maintaining human rights in Nepal are as follows:
▪︎ Poverty (especially in rural areas)
▪︎ Education and gender inequality
▪︎ Health issues
▪︎ Child rights violations
▪︎ Abuse of power, nepotism, corruption, bribery, illiteracy, and ignorance of the people
▪︎ Preference for personal gain or favour
▪︎ Lack of proper mechanisms to streamline policies
▪︎ Lack of proper strategies to enforce the rules of law etc.
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