This paper discusses the implications of a pluralistic approach to human rights and cosmopolitanism.
This goal is pursued in a few steps. First, I introduce the topic of pluralism in terms of
multicultural plurality and intercultural plurality in light of Karl Jaspers’ philosophy of the Axial Age,
which is a way of recognizing a variety of cultural and religious worldviews. Second, I turn to philosophers
such as John Rawls, Martha Nussbaum, and Charles Taylors in order to discuss the possibility
of an overlapping consensus among different cultural and religious views and postulate that they see
this possible unenforced consensus as a way to afϔirm the universality of human rights. Finally, I offer
a proposal for a more plural approach to human rights in which the afϔirmation of plurality of cultures
is not seen as incompatible with universality of human rights. I conclude that one way of moving
beyond particularism to afϔirm universality is to differentiate between multicultural plurality and
intercultural plurality, which are complementary ways to recognize, support, and promote human
rights around the world
