Background
Gorecki, Jan was born on April 10, 1926 in Warsaw, Poland. Son of Jozef Hilary and Jadwiga Barbara (Frendzel) Gorecki. came to the United States, 1969, naturalized, 1974.
( The idea of human rights is powerful. Deriving in its m...)
The idea of human rights is powerful. Deriving in its modern form from the Enlightenment, this doctrine has come to denote individual rights against government oppression, including the right to freedom of thought, religion, speech, assembly, and to a fair system of criminal justice. But even in this basic political sense "human rights" means different things in different historical and cultural contexts and advocacy of such rights has frequently been challenged as subjective. In Justifying Ethics Jan Gorecki offers a thoroughgoing critique of the most common attempts to formulate objective standards through appeals to human nature, religion, and reason. Gorecki opens his inquiry by considering the role of norm-making concepts in the history of ethical thought, how standards of rights were claimed to conform with human nature and reason or have been stipulated by an external authoritative source such as God or social contract. He then shows how such justifications may be discounted on analytical or practical grounds using such instances as divine will, Kantian reason, and the truth value of moral judgments. With respect to empirically grounded appeals to human nature, Gorecki argues against the notion that the innate plasticity of human behavior and potential for social diversity is sufficient grounds for human rights activity without objective justification. Whatever its difficulties, the search for justification remains essential in enhancing the persuasiveness of ethical action that aims at the moral "contagion" of the people by the human rights experience and the transition from moral acceptance to legal implementation. Broad in intellectual scope, Justifying Ethics draws upon moral and political philosophy, social policy, psychology, history, jurisprudence, and international law to clarify the prerequisites for the success of human rights activity. The book will be of special interest to political theorists, philosophers, sociologists, and human rights activists.
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Gorecki, Jan was born on April 10, 1926 in Warsaw, Poland. Son of Jozef Hilary and Jadwiga Barbara (Frendzel) Gorecki. came to the United States, 1969, naturalized, 1974.
Magister Juris, Cracow University, Poland, 1947. Dr.Jur., Cracow University, Poland, 1949. Dr.Sc.Jur., Cracow University, Poland, 1958.
Assistant to associate professor of law, Cracow U., 1947-1968;
fellow, Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California, 1969-1970;
research associate, Stanford Law School, 1970;
professor sociology, University of Illinois, Urbana, since 1970;
associate Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois, 1976-1977, 83-84. Foreign universities Exchange Scheme visitor U. London, 1963. British Council scholar London School Economics, 1959-1960.
Rockefeller fellow in humanities, 1976-1977. Visiting professor law Cracow U., 1992.
( The idea of human rights is powerful. Deriving in its m...)
Member research board Znaniecki Foundation, Poznan, Poland. Member American, International sociological associations, Law and Society Association, American Association Advancement of Slavic Studies.
Married Danuta M. Wojnar, December 26, 1954. Children: Piotr Son of, Maria J.