Societal development in relation to human rights, rights of peoples and sociological theory and research

1. Introduction

Human rights are universal rights, based on the recognition of the inherent dignity of ali members of the human family.

As Artide 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: «Ali human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood».

The universality of human rights is further emphasized in Article 2: «Everyone is entitled to ali the rights and free-doms set forth in the Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, coiour, sex, language, religion, politicai or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status» . Human beings, endowed with reason and conscience, are to be treated as ends in themselves, and not only as exponents of conditions and contingencies they cannot control.

Collective rights must be judged upon their contribution to individuai freedom - the opportunity to make choices -and to the well-being of individuals [...]