In arguing for a recognition of human rights as ontologically grounded in shared vulnerability, the author pays attention to the complex relationships among the state, the social rights of citizens that the state creates, and the human rights of persons as individuals.

This expanded approach accordingly involves a truly interdisciplinary dialogue with the literature of economics, law, medicine, philosophy, political science, and religion. In arguing for a recognition of human rights as ontologically grounded in shared vulnerability, Turner pays special attention to the complex relationships among the state, the social rights of citizens that the state creates, and the human rights of persons as individuals. The conflict between national sovereignty and the universalistic claims of human rights is central to the struggle over human rights today, he shows, but while the protection offered by states and citizenship has been declining, they nevertheless remain important for the enforcement of human rights.