Alan Gewirth

Alan Gewirth (November 28, 1912 – May 9, 2004) was an American philosopher and a professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago. He is recognized for his contributions to moral and political philosophy, most notably his book "Reason and Morality" (1978). Gewirth's central philosophical contribution is his ethical rationalism, which posits a supreme moral principle known as the "Principle of Generic Consistency" (PGC). He argued that this principle is a dialectically necessary requirement of "agential self-understanding," meaning that any agent, by virtue of being an agent, must accept the PGC. The PGC asserts that every agent must act in accordance with their own and all other agents' generic rights. Gewirth's argument for the PGC begins with the inescapable premise of human agency, "I do X for purpose E," and progresses through logical steps to establish that agents value their own freedom and well-being, leading to the conclusion that they have a claim right to these conditions. Consequently, agents must respect the similar rights of others, leading to a universal moral principle. Although Gewirth admitted his argument was dialectical, he maintained its necessity due to the potential for self-contradiction if an agent rejected it. His work has sparked considerable philosophical debate, with numerous objections and defenses of his theory. Gewirth also authored "Human Rights: Essays on Justification and Applications" (1982), "The Community of Rights" (1996), and "Self-Fulfillment" (1998).