The Ambiguities of Human Rights in Colombia: Reflections on a Moral Crisis

The inherent ambiguities of human rights language and activism in the context of Colombia's ongoing armed conflict and the way the discourse has been instrumentalized and appropriated by all sides in the conflict have contributed to skepticism about human rights that has dangerous implications for constructing a democratic culture consonant with the formal rights protections enshrined in the Constitution. These ambiguities arise from the complex social and political trajectory of human rights activism in the country, ideological pressures, and general philosophical confusions stemming from liberal moral philosophy. The more sociologically oriented moral philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre provides better resources both for interpreting the problems with human rights activism and ethical discourse in Colombia and for grounding a more cogent ethical response to Colombia's widely recognized moral crisis.