rules and rights ethcs

8/7/2019 Rules and rights ethcs

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RULES ETHICS

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was one who saw life in a natural state assolitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short

belived that individual liberties led to selfish decisions

From his perspective, a society governed by rules that regulated conduct

was preferred to a society where individual rights and liberties were of

prime importance.

He felt that civilization was based on the fear of death and a desire for

power such that a society could not be trusted to govern itself; instead,

there must be the construction of a commonwealth with a sovereign who

would have absolute rule and keep peace by having the final word on

matters of law, morality, and religion.

This moral theory is deemed archaic and unacceptable by many cultures.

However, the concept of sovereign rule is still viewed as acceptable

governance in many countries as well as families, and in some situations

(such as the need for martial law after a natural disaster).


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RIGHTS ETHICS

This theory holds that those actions are good that respect the rights of

the individual.

Such as the right to life, right to liberty, the right of owning a property

generated by ones labor and the right to pursue happiness.

Here, good consequences for society as a whole are not only moral

consideration.

Rights ethics holds that people have fundamental rights that other

people have a duty to respect.

Human rights ethics, can be viewed as

a fundamental moral authority that all

human being possess so they may live

their lives and exercise their liberty.

In the rights ethical theory the rights set forth

by a society are protected and given the

highest priority. Rights are considered to be

ethically correct and valid since a large or

ruling population endorses them.


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Liberty Rights (John Locke: 1632-1704)

Locke argued that to be a person entails having

human rights to life, liberty, and the property

generated by ones labour. Lockes own version of ahuman rights ethics was highly individualistic. He

viewed rights primarily as entiltlements that prevent

other people from meddling in ones life. These arereferred to as liberty rights (or negative rights).

Liberty or negative rights entail the right to be left aloneto pursue our legitimate interests without interference

from the government or other people. Legitimate

interests are those that do not violate other peoples

similar and equal interests.

Example: Parents may have an interest in having a night

on the town, but they do not have the right to do so if

this violates their young childrens right to security and

reliable supervision.


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Liberty and Welfare Rights (A.I. Melden: 1910-1991)

This second version of rights ethics conceives of humanrights as intimately related to communities of people. He

argued that having moral right presupposes the

capacity to show concern to others and to be

accountable within a moral community. His theory is

more towards positive welfare rights to community

benefits needed for living minimally decent human life.

Welfare or positive rights entails the right to receive certain

social goods such as adequate nutrition, housing, education,

and police and fire protection.


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ISSUES OF RIGHTS ETHICS

(1)The basic right of one person (or

group) may conflict with the basic

right of another person (or group).

How do we decide whose rightshave priority?

(2) Rights ethics dont always account

for the overall good of society verywell.


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Dam Project

Dams often lead to great benefit to society by providing stable supplies of

drinking water, flood control, and recreational opportunities. However, these

benefits often come at the expense of people who live in areas that will be

flooded by the dam and are required to find new homes.

Example of Issue # 1

Right of people who

owned the land

The right to use their

property

Right of people who live in

nearby communities

The right to be safe from

continual flooding

The right to have a

reliable water supply

Whos rights are paramount here?

Rights ethics dont resolve this conflict very well; hence, the utilitarian

approach of trying to determine the most good is more useful in this

case.

(1) The basic right of one person (or group) may conflict with the basic right of

another person (or group). How do we decide whose rights have priority?


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Example of Issue # 2

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

WIPP is designed to be a permanent repository for nuclear waste generate in

the United States. It consist of a system of tunnels bored into underground

salt formations, which are considered by geologists to be extremely stable,

especially to incursion of water, which could lead to seepage of the nuclear

wastes into groundwater.

Rights Ethics ApproachRight of people who live

along the route

The right to live withoutfear of harm due to

accidental spills of

hazardous waste

Utilitarian Approach The nation as a whole will

benefit from safe disposal

of hazardous waste

(2) Rights ethics dont always account for the overall good of society very well.

Rights ethics would come down clearly on the side of the individuals

living along the route despite the overall advantage to society.


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rules and rights ethcs

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