Human Rights as an overlapping consensus in a democratic society

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12662/2447-6641oj.v24i45.5922.pe5922.2026

Keywords:

political liberalism, human rights, overlapping consensus, human rights education

Abstract

Context: In democratic societies characterized by the pluralism of reasonable philosophical, moral, and religious doctrines, building consensuses that ensure institutional stability is essential. John Rawls proposes the concept of "overlapping consensus" as the foundation for maintaining a political conception of justice that does not derive from any particular comprehensive doctrine.

Objective: To investigate whether human rights and, by extension, human rights education can be understood as elements of an overlapping consensus capable of sustaining a just and stable democratic society.

Method: Theoretical and bibliographical research centered on John Rawls’ Political Liberalism and contemporary authors who engage with his proposal, focusing on the articulation between political conception of justice, primary goods, and civic virtues.

Results: Human rights, understood as primary goods, and human rights education, as a means of forming civic virtues, align with the criteria of a political conception of justice and can be endorsed by various reasonable comprehensive doctrines.

Conclusions: The implementation of human rights and the promotion of human rights education not only ensure fundamental guarantees but also contribute to the normative and institutional stability of democracy, qualifying as components of an overlapping consensus in pluralistic societies.

Author Biographies

José Ricardo Cunha, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Bacharel (UFRJ), mestre (PUC-Rio) e doutor (UFSC) em Direito. Professor titular da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Atua na graduação e na Linha de Pesquisa em Teoria e Filosofia do Direito da Pós-Graduação. Rio de Janeiro - RJ - BR.

Rafael Siman, Tribunal de Justiça do Mato Grosso

Possui graduação em Direito pela Faculdade de Campo Grande (2002); especialização em Pós-Graduação Lato Sensu em Direito do Estado e das Relações Sociais e mestrado na UERJ. Atualmente é juiz de direito - Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de Mato Grosso. Tem experiência na área de Direito, com ênfase em Direito. Cuiabá - MT - BR.

EM ABERTO

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Published

2026-03-12

How to Cite

CUNHA, José Ricardo; SIMAN, Rafael. Human Rights as an overlapping consensus in a democratic society. Revista Opinião Jurídica (Fortaleza), Fortaleza, v. 24, n. 45, p. e5922, 2026. DOI: 10.12662/2447-6641oj.v24i45.5922.pe5922.2026. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unichristus.edu.br/opiniaojuridica/article/view/5922. Acesso em: 20 sep. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 45 (2026): EM ABERTO

Section

Artigos Originais

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Copyright (c) 2026 José Ricardo Cunha, Rafael Siman

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