Max Tallberg
Over the past years, we have, across several blog posts, addressed the solutions that humanity, in our view, already possesses as it seeks to achieve a more just, more equal, and better world. In this context, we have highlighted in particular human rights, democracy, and the welfare state. In this final text, I reflect on all three of these solutions together from the perspective of our association.
My thesis in this regard is that these three themes ultimately point toward a similar kind of world that our association also strives for. In addition, it can be argued that these three themes require one another to function properly even on their own. In my view, it is therefore clear that there can be no welfare state without democracy, and no democracy without human rights.
According to this view, the realization of human rights would thus provide the foundation upon which democracy and the welfare state are built. However, it is worth asking whether there might be an even more fundamental level underlying human rights—one that would belong even more centrally and fundamentally to a good and ethical world. In my opinion, the possibility of such a level should definitely be explored, as it would further strengthen the three solutions I have mentioned, while also offering new perspectives and potentially new solutions to current global challenges.
It could therefore be proposed that the values and rights underlying human rights could be referred to as existential rights. In addition to examining human beings at a more fundamental level, this layer would extend its rights also to all sentient beings and to nature. The defense of animal rights, as well as a sustainable relationship with nature, is increasingly important today, not least in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.
What would these existential rights look like in the case of human beings? At the very least, they should defend every person’s right to a dignified life. At the same time, they should be grounded in the most fundamental knowledge we have about human behavior and nature. Human biology, and especially evolutionary theory, provides the most natural sources of knowledge, guidance, and solutions in this regard. The knowledge we have today about the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers would also form an essential part of this. The hunter-gatherer way of life can be considered natural to humans, and it has also been suggested to lead to the highest possible level of human well-being. Amartya Sen’s ideas on flourishing communities and their modes of functioning should also be considered central themes.
When describing such a way of life and considering its most central elements that should still prevail, three themes come to mind above all: reciprocity, inclusivity, and autonomy. Reciprocity also emphasizes in an important way everyone’s own responsibility, as Mahatma Gandhi once pointed out. To be treated well, I must also treat others in the same way. At the same time, these existential rights can also be defined from the perspective of goodness: goodness is a universal theme and is likewise universally accepted and valued, and it could therefore serve as the foundation of such a fundamental level, as well as the goal that should be achieved through this kind of reflection.
What, then, would a world look like in which existential rights, human rights, democracy, and the welfare state were all realized on a global scale? Such a world would, at the very least, be harmonious, functional, focused on the most important aspects of human life, and capable of enabling them, but also, with very high probability, efficient—even from an economic perspective. Such a world could also respond effectively to the threats it faces, such as climate change today. It can also be argued that, at a fundamental level, a good life and a good society are achieved through the same factors and by emphasizing the same elements: community, participation, autonomy, good values, and a sustainable relationship with nature. In this way, not only collective but also individual happiness—possibly even among elites—would reach its highest possible level.
In today’s world, humanity has better opportunities than ever before to build such a world, not least through the rapid pace of technological development. However, this development should be increasingly harnessed to improve the position of all people in the world equally. All of this is possible, but it requires effort and collective reflection, something that our association also seeks to promote.
