There is a book by Sam Harris that talks about human rights as a science, but that is something I am not convinced of entirely. What would the science of human rights be? Harris basically says because it is obvious and makes sense. His "Science" argument boils down to natural rights which I'm like yeah ok, I hear ya but that is not scientific. It is a gut reaction to what is right and wrong -- we still need real world laws to back that up. So, yeah, I agree our empathy wears off after reading a novel, watching a movie, or seeing horrible events on the news... but what does an emotionless take on human rights look like? I'm genuinely interested.