Where Do Natural Rights Come From?

[Imran Siddiqui]

... assuming there is no God, of course (if there is, that makes this a very simple question ).

Where do these natural rights spring? Locke describes these rights as simply arising when people remove themselves from the State of Nature. The question that results is: aren't these rights formulated by what amounts to democratic election? And if so, then what makes them so important?

I can somewhat accept the idea that rules in the forumlation of society create the foundation of society and thus those rules must continue to be followed, but should this be the case? Should not the foundation be amendable?

However, what was the formulation of society? Can we trace it back? We can definetly trace back formulation of countries and states, but nations is incredibly hard to determine. If we do not know the status of societal formation, then how would we know the foundational rules?

Are not the 'natural rights' simply formulations that elite groups have made in the past for the promotion of their own rights? Since those groups have power, what they believe to be the 'best' rights was made to triumph over what others believed to be better rights.

Can anyone explain to me where natural rights sprang from and why those natural rights should be followed?

[Boris Godunov]

Hark, me thinks me see David Floyd approach! And lo, his faithful companions, Bezerker and Ramo!

But wait, here cometh their archnemesis, the villain loinburger! Booooooooo!

[Caligastia]

Is anything man-made 'natural'? If not, then why should rights be considered 'natural'? It seems to me that the term 'natural rights' was just made up to make whatever rights that were being asserted seem more important.

[chequita guevara]

"Natural rights" comes from the minds of thinkers. In other words, there are no such things. All rights are man-made.



I'm agreeing with Caligastia.

[Imran Siddiqui]

And me, che, and me .

Though instead of simply 'man-made', I'd assert all rights are government-made. Declared rights are for naught unless embraced by the elites or the masses, depending on the type of governmental system.

[Lefty Scaevola]

A mystycal garden tended by the Illuminati.

[Ben Kenobi]

... assuming there is no God, of course (if there is, that makes this a very simple question ).

-Imran



No one cares for Aquinas?

I'll say that without the concept of God it is impossible to have Natural Laws applicable to everyone.

[Agathon]

The minds of those who don't give a hoot if people suffer in poverty.


Well, you asked...

[The Andy-Man]

there are natural rights goddamn it! Taking a p*ss for example....

[Felch]

Your mom

[loinburger]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
But wait, here cometh their archnemesis, the villain loinburger! Booooooooo!

I thought that I felt my ears burning...

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by loinburger
I thought that I felt my ears burning...

I get the same thing, but that's usually from the fingernail marks.

[mactbone]

A mandate from the masses...

Seriously, "Natural Rights" are only ideas that most people in a society agree are necessary. For example there are/wre tribes of cannibals and presumably they did not think there was a "natural right" to life, so there wasn't.

[Ramo]

Hark, me thinks me see David Floyd approach! And lo, his faithful companions, Bezerker and Ramo!
But wait, here cometh their archnemesis, the villain loinburger! Booooooooo!

You put me on the wrong side of the debate.

[Velociryx]

I get mine from Publix.

Oh wait....that's Natural Light....



-=Vel=-