What is a "Right"???

[Border Reiver]

Of course they can, and do.

Then prove it using concrete examples - I have.

 

[Border Reiver]

We're waiting for your evidence with respect to natural rights.

 

[Robert Prey]

We're waiting for your evidence with respect to natural rights.

There is no law that can grant anyone the right to life. The right to life is inherent in living. And all other natural rights flow from that right.

 

[DC]

There is no law that can grant anyone the right to life. The right to life is inherent in living. And all other natural rights flow from that right.

what is the right to life? living does very obviously not inherit a right to life, everything that lives will die at some point. or is nature violating those rights on a daily basis?

 

[Border Reiver]

There is no law that can grant anyone the right to life. The right to life is inherent in living. And all other natural rights flow from that right.

But we can have laws that take away life - ie. impose capital punishment; we can state that people have the authority to use lethal force in self-defence or the defence of others, or in war; we can have laws that indicate that certain classes of persons can be killed without anything more than civil damages being owed or even without penalty. Persons can simply allow others to die but refusing to act. Therefore there are limits on the "right to life", and it is not unlimited or inalienable.


What you can say is that you have the right to life, and cannot be deprived of said right save within the process of law. But then you have a legal right instead of a "natural right" - guess you need to try again, or just accept that a "natural right" is a construct of philosophers and that legal rights are what we have.

 

[Belz...]

NO. Human rights exist whether a government respects them or not.

How can they exist if no one enforces them ?

 

[Belz...]

There is no law that can grant anyone the right to life. The right to life is inherent in living. And all other natural rights flow from that right.

I'm not sure you understand what the word means. Why don't you tell us the definition of "right" ?

 

[Robert Prey]

I'm not sure you understand what the word means. Why don't you tell us the definition of "right" ?

You and your fellow late comers to this thread should read the OP.

 

[Border Reiver]

Robert, we are still waiting for your proof that "natural rights" are anything other than legal rights with a different label.

So far your philosophy has not been up to the task.

 

[Border Reiver]

You and your fellow late comers to this thread should read the OP.

Is your delay in demonstrating the practical differences between "natural" and "legal" rights the result of your taking your own advice above and reading the OP of the "Obama Birth Certificate" thread, or have you simply recognized that skimming a summary of the theory of the development of rights has left you ill prepared to discuss it like a civilized person?