ARTICLE AD BOX
Hat tip Graham C. and Samuel F. who clarify:
A right is something you do not have to ask somebody else's permission for.A right is something that does not come at the expense of somebody else's rights.
There are lots of made-up things that some people call rights—and they are bogus.
They can be called anything else—but they are not rights."
Rights are either negative or in response to outside factors. A right to defend yourself. A right to free speech. A right to assembly. Things like this don't require anyone to do anything for you. Taking care of infants and elderly is a good thing, and we should do it, but calling it a right means that those charged with doing so don't have the right not to.
Put simply, a non-right requires something from others. Whereas to exercise a genuine right requires from others only that they leave you alone.
.png)
English (US) ·