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What is a right?

Sir Doom

Cooler than most of you
Just to be emphatic and clear, again...."We the People" rightly choose and define what "rights" are, and should be... and if some deity wants a say in that process, show up in a polling booth and be counted :)

And he'd better show proof of legal citizenship, too! ;)
 

waitasec

Veteran Member
what an excellent question willamena!!!
:)

how i see it, it means we all stand on zero.
it is not an individuals standard but rather a standard that is to be equally applied to all that fit the same criteria, the one that defines what a human being is.

it is the antithesis to a double standard
 
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Willamena

Just me
Premium Member
what an excellent question willamena!!!
:)

how i see it, it means we all stand on zero.
it is not an individuals standard but rather a standard that is to be equally applied to all that fit the same criteria, the one that defines what a human being is.

it is the antithesis to a double standard
What does it mean to "stand on zero"?

Are rights, applied equally to all, all that define what a human being is?
 

waitasec

Veteran Member
What does it mean to "stand on zero"?

-1, 0, +1

-1 would represent same sex couples lack of obtaining their right to marry
+1 represents heterosexual couples who have obtained the right to get married
standing on zero would mean both would have that right.
does this help?


Are rights, applied equally to all, all that define what a human being is?

no, a human being is a lot of different things all at once.
 

Willamena

Just me
Premium Member
-1, 0, +1

-1 would represent same sex couples lack of obtaining their right to marry
+1 represents heterosexual couples who have obtained the right to get married
standing on zero would mean both would have that right.
does this help?
"Rights" as the great equalizer? I think that's what you mean.
 

Willamena

Just me
Premium Member
Rights to me are something that we collectively as humans (or sometimes as separate societies) decided that they are crucial and basic enough so as to warrant our support for it for everyone, based on our perception of it as an essential part to achieving our collective different ideas of a decent life.

The things quoted are indeed in my view some of the things that we collectively decided upon to be basic needs for people to achieve any form of happiness in their lives. How we've came to these conclusions regarding such things and others is from our impression and reasoning based upon history and our collective knowledge through experiences.
Are these basic needs and "rights" the same thing, then?
 

Tarheeler

Argumentative Curmudgeon
Premium Member
Rights to me are something that we collectively as humans (or sometimes as separate societies) decided that they are crucial and basic enough so as to warrant our support for it for everyone, based on our perception of it as an essential part to achieving our collective different ideas of a decent life.

The things quoted are indeed in my view some of the things that we collectively decided upon to be basic needs for people to achieve any form of happiness in their lives. How we've came to these conclusions regarding such things and others is from our impression and reasoning based upon history and our collective knowledge through experiences.

This, in a nutshell.

Rights are those ideas/actions/tangible things that we collectivly agree everyone is entitled to, and that we collectively agree to enforce and/or protect.

They can come from anywhere (religion, philosophy, "universal" morality, societal consensus), but they require the acknowledgment and protection of society. Without that, you don't have anything.
 
An entitlement bestowed by society.
I think I would add the distinction that a right is something which society should bestow, whereas the choice to bestow an entitlement or not is morally-neutral.

For example, I might believe that a public park for dog-owners and their dogs is an entitlement bestowed by society. Whether voters agree or disagree about building such a park, we can all probably agree that it wouldn't be "wrong" if society chose not to grant that entitlement. But most people believe it would be "wrong" on a deeper level if society denied a person's right to an attorney.
 

Badran

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Are these basic needs and "rights" the same thing, then?

I'm not sure that i understand the question, but if you mean to ask that under such definition would any basic need also be a right, i would say no, not necessarily.

Sex for example is a basic need, yet its not a right for people to have sex. As in, they're not given any kind of guarantees or privileges from society in that regard, at least directly.

Why there would be exceptions among those basic needs depends on more than one factor. For one thing we're not necessarily consistent to begin with as human beings. Other reasons could have to do with complications in enforcing such a right, and how it could be unpractical and/or impossible.
 
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