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The current situation of European society is still deeply marked by the aftermath of the "cultural revolution" of the 60s. This paper discusses examines, first, a number of social features in which this influence is discernible: secularization, birth rate decline, decay of the family, relativism, etc. The second section presents the contemporary cultural crisis as the ultimate stage of an evolution that opened up in the 17th century, when a new secular-rational ethics (etsi Deus non daretur) -designed to supersede traditional Christian ethics- was proposed by Grotius and other scholars. The third section analyzes the essential contribution Christianity could make to the (still hypothetical) cultural-moral revival of Europe (via an ethics veluti si Deus daretur), focusing particularly on the dialogues Joseph Ratzinger held with Jürgen Habermas and Marcello Pera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last twenty years the educational policy of the European Union has sought two objectives: on the one hand, to make the citizens aware of the common European identity and on the other hand, to enable them to make Europe the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world. Education is seen as the most effective tool to face the current challenges in Europe in the context of globalization and economic crisis. It is therefore essential to raise the proper orientation to the present European Education crossroads. The hypothesis of this paper is that the education policy raised at European level does not respond with rigor and depth to the current challenges in Europe since it is predominantly subject to a target of economic progress and growth and to a professional training. Neither does it propose a comprehensive education within a code of ethics that achieves to alleviate the profound moral failings of the current crisis, their breeding ground consisting of nihilism and moral relativism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper has the goal to develop a comparative approach between the European definition of social rights and the same definition in the case of the United Nations; taking into account the differences and similarities between the way to work on it by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The research done try to show the dear gap between the legal promotion and protection of civil and political rights and the legal promotion and protection of social rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conclusion of this article is the necessity of a specific syllabus in high school about education on Human Rights. This subject has to be compulsory and with its own program. It is not enough to include these contents as a mainstreaming subject, and neither as optional matter supplying the choice for the religion syllabus. It has to have a specific items based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of United Nations, and explaining the political institutions according to the National Constitution in each country, moreover in Europe it has to include the European Community Law and The Council of Europe's Organisation. It has not to include psychological contents, as the Spanish Real Decretos have done. At the same time, in this syllabus has to be discussed the different theories about the foundation of Human Rights; namely, the iusnaturalist foundation (based upon the civic humanism) and the positivist foundation (based in the contractual theories). It has to be included the debate about the relation between ethic and Law, justice and validity of legal order, facing the problems of obedience and disobedience to the Law, and the conscience objection to Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]