Human needs , human rights , and social work as a practice of humanism
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Human needs, human rights, and social work as a practice of humanism An argument for the rights to health, education, and social equality Stockholm July 2012 Notker Schneider
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Human needs , human rights , and social work as a practice of humanism. An argument for the rights to health , education , and social equality Stockholm July 2012 Notker Schneider. Preliminary Remarks. What it is : an approach to the fundamentals to the prospectives - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Human needs , human rights , and social work as a practice of humanism
Human needs, human rights, and social work as
a practice of humanism
An argument for the rights to health, education, and social equality
Stockholm July 2012
Notker Schneider
Preliminary Remarks
What it is:
an approach to the fundamentals to the prospectivesof Social Work
from a philosophical point of viewNotker Schneider - FH Köln 2
Preliminary Remarks
What we may get:
theoretical & analytical insights application on the basic rights, e.g. to
comprehensive health care
Notker Schneider – Cologne University of Applied Sciences 3
Social Work will be understood as a political human rights practice
Preliminary Remarks
Social Work as a „profession of human rights“
(Silvia Staub-Bernasconi)
“common sense”
But what is the exact meaning? What’s the linking?
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 4
Preliminary Remarks
relation & linking of
human rights
human needs
social work
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 5
Human RightsQuestion:
Social Work substantiated by Human Rights
Human Rights substantiated by … ?
criticized as representing a special, local, historical tradition (i.e. the european)
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 6
Human RightsA comprehensive, global, and sustainable commitment arising from human rights strongly calls for a significant deeper foundation
innermost sense and actual meaning of Human Rights
a fruitful, creative, and equal intercultural dialogue about human rights
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 7
Deeper FoundationWhat unites human beings as human beings?
anthropological dimension
„Anthropology“: something like an empirically justified essence of humanity
basal human needs and capabilitiesNotker Schneider - FH Köln 8
Human Needspossible is something like a list of basal needs which share all human beings (see Martha C. Nussbaum)
nourishment, safe housing, health care … education, interpersonal communication, sexual self-determination, just political participation
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 9
Consequences 1human needs express what we call humanity
to deny the fulfillment of these needs means to deny his or hers humanity
basal human needs are the material concrete of the more formal and abstract concept of “human dignity”
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 10
Consequences 1concretization & giving real content
to the more abstract “human dignity”
makes possible specific & political discussions gives Social Work clear mandates
in client empowerment in social-political action
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 11
Consequences 2Human needs: a demand, a question
different answers (culture, history, preference)
not: „one world – one solution“
this is a plea for difference, for respect and esteem of diversity, and not an excuse for bad solutions
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 12
Consequences 2The answer we have to give to the question of a human need must always be the best possible.
“one world – the best possible and most preferred solution”
a new concept of global distributive justice on the basis of equal human needs
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 13
Consequences 3human needs crucial for
Human Rights and Social Work
human needs human dignity human rights
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 14
Consequences 3Human Needs and Social Work
Social Work has to intervene in the case of social problemssocial problems arise when human needs cannot be fulfilled by structural reasons
Notker Schneider - FH Köln 15
Tack så mycket!Thank you for your attention and patience!
