Amos Nascimento is Professor of Philosophy, German Studies, and Latin American Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma and Seattle, USA.

“Nascimento’s magnificent survey of the historical genesis of human rights and cosmopolitan dialog spanning religious cultures and continents is imperative reading for anyone concerned about the prospect of advancing global peace and humanitarian justice in today’s complex world. Using Karl Jaspers’ pioneering ideas of axiality and communication as they have been critically appropriated by Jürgen Habermas and Enrique Dussel among many others, and focusing on Europe and South America as exemplary illustrations, Nascimento charts the many historical pathways traversing pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial, and de-colonial epochs leading toward the aspirational ethos that culminated in the creation of the United Nations, the European Union, and the parallel regional integration of South America under the auspices of the MERCOSUR treaty. Nascimento’s discussion of the seminal role of the 16th Century Salamanca School in planting the seeds of humanitarian legal idealism during the European conquest of the Americas is especially noteworthy.”David Ingram, Loyola University Chicago, USA“In an era of neo-imperialist wars and political authoritarianism, Amos Nascimento presents a well-balanced, intercultural reinterpretation of the idea of human rights. Beyond anti-Western postcolonialism and Eurocentric fallacies of the philosophies of Enlightenment, this work carefully explores and renews the potential of both European and Latin American thought for a global peace order based on human rights.”Hans Schelkshorn, University of Vienna, Austria

• 1. Introduction: Plurality and universality in the promotion of human rights and peace Part 1: Decentering Philosophical Worldviews 2. Karl Jaspers, the Axial Age, and world plurality 3. Axiality, cosmopolitanism, and intercultural communication Part 2: Intersecting Human Rights and Peace in Plural Contexts 4. Axiality and regional cosmopolitan communities: Between plurality and universality 5. Human rights and cosmopolitanism against imperialism: The Western European context 6. Human rights against colonialism and militarism: The South American context Part 3: Learning from Western Europe and South America 7. Intercultural communication and mutual learning on human rights and peace

Amos Nascimento is Professor of Philosophy, German Studies, and Latin American Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma and Seattle, USA.

“Nascimento’s magnificent survey of the historical genesis of human rights and cosmopolitan dialog spanning religious cultures and continents is imperative reading for anyone concerned about the prospect of advancing global peace and humanitarian justice in today’s complex world. Using Karl Jaspers’ pioneering ideas of axiality and communication as they have been critically appropriated by Jürgen Habermas and Enrique Dussel among many others, and focusing on Europe and South America as exemplary illustrations, Nascimento charts the many historical pathways traversing pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial, and de-colonial epochs leading toward the aspirational ethos that culminated in the creation of the United Nations, the European Union, and the parallel regional integration of South America under the auspices of the MERCOSUR treaty. Nascimento’s discussion of the seminal role of the 16th Century Salamanca School in planting the seeds of humanitarian legal idealism during the European conquest of the Americas is especially noteworthy.”David Ingram, Loyola University Chicago, USA“In an era of neo-imperialist wars and political authoritarianism, Amos Nascimento presents a well-balanced, intercultural reinterpretation of the idea of human rights. Beyond anti-Western postcolonialism and Eurocentric fallacies of the philosophies of Enlightenment, this work carefully explores and renews the potential of both European and Latin American thought for a global peace order based on human rights.”Hans Schelkshorn, University of Vienna, Austria

• 1. Introduction: Plurality and universality in the promotion of human rights and peace Part 1: Decentering Philosophical Worldviews 2. Karl Jaspers, the Axial Age, and world plurality 3. Axiality, cosmopolitanism, and intercultural communication Part 2: Intersecting Human Rights and Peace in Plural Contexts 4. Axiality and regional cosmopolitan communities: Between plurality and universality 5. Human rights and cosmopolitanism against imperialism: The Western European context 6. Human rights against colonialism and militarism: The South American context Part 3: Learning from Western Europe and South America 7. Intercultural communication and mutual learning on human rights and peace

Amos Nascimento is Professor of Philosophy, German Studies, and Latin American Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma and Seattle, USA.

“Nascimento’s magnificent survey of the historical genesis of human rights and cosmopolitan dialog spanning religious cultures and continents is imperative reading for anyone concerned about the prospect of advancing global peace and humanitarian justice in today’s complex world. Using Karl Jaspers’ pioneering ideas of axiality and communication as they have been critically appropriated by Jürgen Habermas and Enrique Dussel among many others, and focusing on Europe and South America as exemplary illustrations, Nascimento charts the many historical pathways traversing pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial, and de-colonial epochs leading toward the aspirational ethos that culminated in the creation of the United Nations, the European Union, and the parallel regional integration of South America under the auspices of the MERCOSUR treaty. Nascimento’s discussion of the seminal role of the 16th Century Salamanca School in planting the seeds of humanitarian legal idealism during the European conquest of the Americas is especially noteworthy.”David Ingram, Loyola University Chicago, USA“In an era of neo-imperialist wars and political authoritarianism, Amos Nascimento presents a well-balanced, intercultural reinterpretation of the idea of human rights. Beyond anti-Western postcolonialism and Eurocentric fallacies of the philosophies of Enlightenment, this work carefully explores and renews the potential of both European and Latin American thought for a global peace order based on human rights.”Hans Schelkshorn, University of Vienna, Austria

• 1. Introduction: Plurality and universality in the promotion of human rights and peace Part 1: Decentering Philosophical Worldviews 2. Karl Jaspers, the Axial Age, and world plurality 3. Axiality, cosmopolitanism, and intercultural communication Part 2: Intersecting Human Rights and Peace in Plural Contexts 4. Axiality and regional cosmopolitan communities: Between plurality and universality 5. Human rights and cosmopolitanism against imperialism: The Western European context 6. Human rights against colonialism and militarism: The South American context Part 3: Learning from Western Europe and South America 7. Intercultural communication and mutual learning on human rights and peace