human rights ethics john locke 1632-1704. what does it mean to have rights? a. having an area of...
TRANSCRIPT
Human Rights Ethics
John Locke
1632-1704
What does it mean to have rights?
A. having an area of one’s life protected against outside interference even if some might disagree: the right to view pornography.
B. having a claim on society as a whole to deliver a particular service: the right to basic health care or education.
Where do rights come from?
1. The Law of Nature: John Locke “We hold these truth’s to be self-evident. That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
Where do rights come from?
2. Human beings and animals have rights because of some distinctive capacity they possess, such as consciousness, self-consciousness or reason.
3. Social Contract: The weakest in society should have the same rights as the strongest so that society is fair.
What about when rights conflict?
Some rights are primary and more fundamental than others: the right to life is more basic than the right to free speech or the right to privacy.
Does the right to life trump the right of a baby to use a mother’s body?
Catholic Christianity’s support of rights theory
Catechism 1930:Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy.
Catholic Christianity’s support of rights theory
Catechism 2273: Human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin.
Catholic Christianity’s support of rights theory
Pope John XXIII: Every man has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are necessary and suitable for the proper development of life; these are primarily food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and finally necessary social services.