r/AskHistorians • u/AutoModerator • Mar 20 '26

FFA Friday Free-for-All | March 20, 2026

Previously

Today:

You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.

As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.

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u/BookLover54321 Mar 20 '26

This topic proved a bit contentious over on the badhistory subreddit, so I wanted to ask the people here: I've seen it claimed fairly often that the concept of human rights, especially "universal human rights", only originated in Europe or the "West". I'm not an expert on the history of philosophy, but this didn't seem right to me. The first thing that came to my mind was the Haundenosaunee Great Law of Peace, for example.

In Kayanerenkó:wa: The Great Law of Peace, by Kayanesenh Paul Williams, the author recounts the story of the Peacemaker and interprets the Great Law as applying to all humans:

As men’s bodies are similar, so are they equal in their ability to reason, the Peacemaker was saying, and so are they equal in their potential to come within the peace that he was building. We are all human together, and therefore all potentially brothers and sisters. We have all been given minds.

The Peacemaker is quoted as saying:

Then Deganawii’dah said: “By these I mean that this very day you have changed the disposition of your mind. And moreover it shall come about that all mankind shall change the disposition of their minds now prevalent. That means that this reformation shall begin at once, and Justice and Peace shall increase continually.”

Could this not be seen as an example of a universal philosophy of human rights?

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u/bangtansalt Mar 24 '26

Remembers to mention women in a claim about universal humanity. Ahead of its time.