Human rights is what the society should aim for: Grayling

What society should aim for, said British philosopher A.C. Grayling, is respecting human rights: aiming not for unity, not for identity and not for forced commonality, but for harmony, by allowing for, accepting and even appreciating differences.

Prof. Grayling, who is the principal of Northeastern University, London, and professor of philosophy there, was in conversation with Chandan Gowda, professor and dean, School of Liberal Arts, Vidyashilp University, Bengaluru, at The Hindu Lit for Life, on Saturday (January 17, 2026).

Elaborating on human rights, in the context of the culture wars in the United States, Prof. Grayling said that too little attention was being paid to the far right; the issue at stake, he said, was discrimination: racism, sexism, homophobia and the marginalisation of minorities. The more success movements against discrimination have had, the more angry and embattled, certain groups whose interests have been affected have become, he noted.

Terming President Donald Trump’s second term as ‘absolutely ghastly’, he pointed to the systematic dismantling of various programmes aimed at bringing discrimination to an end. “Rights only conflict with interests,” he stressed, adding that if everybody in the world respected everyone else’s rights, that would be a recipe for peace.

While traditions and cultures offered immense richness and mattered, he reminded the audience that “almost all borders in our world are drawn in the blood of wars” and so nationalistic forms of patriotism were artificial and often exploited to justify going to war or preying upon a certain people, and once again stressing that it was human rights that transcended the many diversities in the world that should be accorded importance.

Earlier, while discussing his book ‘For the People’, Prof Grayling also stressed the need for a vigorous defence of democracy against the rise of authoritarianism in various parts of the world, stressing that whatever form democracies took, if they were serious, then this form of polity would promote the rule of law and civil liberties; these, he said were vital for individual flourishing, and, by extension, societal flourishing.

Later, while discussing freedom of expression, he noted that it was absolutely fundamental to society. However, he added the caveat that it could not be unqualified as irresponsible use could lead to great harm. Deciding what was and was not responsible use however, should be on a case-to-case basis, he stressed. He also pointed out that freedom of expression in society required “something idealistic” — for people to be thoughtful and sensible, and this was not generally the case as often people were governed by raw emotions. He called for encouraging ourselves and one another to use freedom of expression responsibly, to treat it as a precious commodity, “like a crystal vase”, to be used properly and never misused.

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Published – January 17, 2026 02:07 pm IST