The international human rights system is both the process and the product of an ongoing dialogue between peoples and cultures throughout the world. But what do human rights mean today? How have we arrived here? And where are human rights going?br brHuman Rights in an Advancing Civilization examines these questions and makes four claims: brbr* that human rights have been applied more broadly over time as our sense of community has expandedbr br* that communities and societies change, and ideas about identity and rights change with thembr br* that our understanding of human rights is based on our view of human naturebr br* and human rights support the exploration and fulfillment of identity by protecting human potential and purpose.