Preface

This book and the ideas in it are intended not only to plant a seed and start discussions, but, critically, to start a movement with urgency, along the lines of Thomas Paine's Common Sense^[1]. The book and ideas come from years, even decades, of the evolution of my own thinking.

They may resonate with some, and may disturb others.

This edition 1 will itself evolve. The point is not to create a static book or set of ideas.

For all those working to improve how rights are protected across the globe, for humans and all creatures, animate and inanimate, please keep going! What you do is invaluable. Despite the criticism of rights-based frameworks in this book, inalienable obligations augment your work, as more fully discussed in Chapter 7.

[1] Thomas Paine's pamphlet “Common Sense” changed the minds and approach of colonists from a focus on the unfairness of taxation combined with loyalty to the King and Britain to a focus on independence. He and his pamphlet achieved a radical mindset shift in a matter of months, motivating direct action, with local and quickly global implications. Learn more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense