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Kieran Cronin aims in this book to show how a Christian perspective may have something fruitful to contribute to the language of rights. In so doing, he examines some of the complexities involved in using this language, drawing from literature in moral philosophy and jurisprudence in the process. The novelty of his approach lies in the attempt to distinguish two complementary aspects within metaethics, aspects which the author calls the 'discursive' and the 'imaginative'. Cronin regards the use of models (which are extended metaphors) as providing a bridge between these two aspects, and the imaginative metaethics which emerges is seen to be rich in possibilities for both secular and Christian understandings of rights-talk.

The author examines the debate between proponents of individual rights and supporters of the concept of group or collective rights. He highlights the change of focus over the last few hundred years, and suggests that the most promising approach to the concept of group rights must involve a deeper appreciation of collective goods such as land, language and religious belonging. The strong opposition between the two sides of the debate, it is suggested, could be reconsidered in the light of the two-thousand-year Catholic tradition of dealing with the tension between diverse groups and individuals within the Church.

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