Defense Date

5-1-2026

Graduation Date

Summer 8-7-2026

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Philosophy

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

James Swindal

Committee Member

Fred Evans

Committee Member

Daniel Selcer

Keywords

Human Development; Human Rights; Capabilities Approach; Max Scheler; Responsibility; Persons

Abstract

Building on the plethora of research that demonstrates the way rights language has been more useful for those with wealth and power to further expand capitalist markets, this text extends that criticism to human development programs and institutions. While they claim to be directed towards addressing global issues of poverty and hunger as well as climate crises, they continue to treat the symptoms without accurately diagnosing the disease. Approaches to development that rely on rights without questioning the way rights have been influenced by neoliberal capitalists or without questioning the capitalist global economic system will never be able to achieve their worthy goals of ending poverty, hunger, inequalities, or climate devastation. I argue instead for grounding human development in a phenomenological account of the person which can better include the inherent value of all life as well as better account for the higher, spiritual values that give our lives true meaning. Max Scheler’s concept of the person and his hierarchy of values combined with Simone Weil’s requirement of the universal obligation and a hierarchy of responsibility could provide us with a new criterion for determining which rights really do contribute to flourishing life and which are more conducive to maintaining the status quo under capitalism.

Language

English

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