As discussed in your text, a key to understanding human rights is understanding where the justification for rights comes from. Some believe that all humans possess the same rights and that those rights are immutable; that rights originate from outside a society. Proponents of this view are called universalists. Others contend that rights are relative to culture. That is, rights are the product of a society's contemporary values. Relativists therefore assert that in a world of diverse cultures, no single standard of human rights exists or is likely to exist, short of the world's becoming completely homogenized culturally. The cultural relativist point of view also means that rights are not timeless; they can change with changing social norms.
Answer the following poll questions to help you understand your own tendencies when it comes to justifying human rights. Do you fall closer to the universal or the relative end of the spectrum?
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| 1 | Women need to be understood as a heterogeneous group that in different societies will have different needs and rights; women’s rights, therefore, ought to vary depending on time and place. |
 | A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 2 | Children should not be allowed to work before the age of 16 regardless of the economic demands of a societal or familial unit. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 3 | Most countries recognize capital punishment as a violation of basic human rights. This international norm must be applied in all countries. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 4 | The Universal Declaration of Human Rights needs to be seen as an immutable document to guide the practices of all countries. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 5 | Human rights laws are essentially a product of Western values and do not reflect the needs of people in non-Western societies. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 6 | Human rights treaties are not timeless; they are meant to change as the international community changes and develops. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 7 | Human rights laws are essentially a product of Western values and do not reflect the needs of people in non-Western societies. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 8 | There are certain human rights, such as the right to leisure time, that are not realistic or necessary in certain parts of the world. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 9 | The infusion of religion into national law should never compromise basic human rights as defined by international declarations, conventions, and treaties. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 10 | The nature of humankind is not based on culture, and, therefore, human rights are universal. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |
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| 11 | Human rights are a social construction of our time–a product of people and their ideas. If such ideas can be constructed, they can be reconstructed over time and can vary. |
| A) | Agree |
| B) | Disagree |