The underlying presumption is that human rights are firmly enough established now in discourse if not in practice that the question of why they are important can be asked with some assurance that the myriad of different answers will not scuttle the whole effort. Contributors in religion, philosophy, law, and human rights advocacy look at religious appraisals, secular responses, and regional experiences. The anthology began as a 2002-03 lecture series at the University of Chicago, though not all 12 essays here were presented there. There is no index. Annotation 2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
