Questions tagged [rights]
The rights tag has no usage guidance.
67
questions
4
votes
1
answer
153
views
Positive Freedom v. Negative Freedom: a binary or a spectruum?
I got interested in this question when I realized that, on one hand, some people who disagree with me (and argue for mean ideas) are fond of this distinction and, on the other hand, my ideas and that ...
- 141
0
votes
1
answer
39
views
Which are or were those ideas considered "natural rights"?
Before the appearence of the idea of "human rights" after the second world war (though some says not the term but a similar term and a similar idea, "rights of the man" appeared ...
- 777
2
votes
7
answers
2k
views
How much destructive capability should a person have, and why?
In general, how much capability to harm or destroy should any given human have?
If humans were effectively barred from even minor forms of destructive capability, would it be a better or worse society?...
- 3,225
0
votes
1
answer
37
views
Neurotransmitter stimulation, ownership, and the right to bring into existence with pleasure [closed]
I wanted to ask, if looking or thinking with a person releases the right neurotransmitter combinations, that, with the passing of time, takes you, to the right, developments, or actions
then does that ...
0
votes
0
answers
34
views
What sort of knowledge are we entitiled to have?
What sort of knowledge are we entitiled to have? Is there a class of knowledge which we should not be deliberately deprived of? I have asked before about anonymity, the right not to tell, deception, ...
user70707
0
votes
1
answer
31
views
Looking for reading recommendations: Theories of right/justice that safeguard against having one's job automated?
Can anyone recommend any books or articles on AI automation of jobs?
Specifically, books that develop or discuss a theory of right and then apply it to the question of whether we should let job ...
- 1
2
votes
5
answers
231
views
Should all cultures be maintained?
I think Chomsky has argued that no states have the right to exist. What about cultures?
Some cultures practised human sacrifice: if they existed now, should the culture be preserved completely, in ...
user67675
1
vote
5
answers
97
views
If I always have some right, how do I decide how I may enforce it?
Suppose I always have the right to not tell someone something, if I so chose. Suppose I am also unwilling or unable to leave them alone, and they are smart enough to work it out if I don't create a ...
user67104
0
votes
1
answer
77
views
Did Ibsen originate this statement?
In an article I am writing, I am using a quotation from the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, who wrote in what is effectively Danish:
"Ak ja, retten, retten; hvad hjælper det, at du har retten, ...
- 103
1
vote
0
answers
53
views
Under which meta-ethical theories can we forfeit any rights?
I don't mean "human rights", which has a question already. I suppose that not all rights are human rights, though that may not be the case: I think people may actually have a right not to be ...
user65174
1
vote
5
answers
224
views
What are the philosophical justifications for the creation of rights?
Just like the title states, I am referring only to philosophical justifications, not legal, historical, or religious justifications. To me, it seems that the use of rights, specifically human rights, ...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
99
views
Criticism to the premise of arbitrariness of moral desert in Rawls
I am aware of several criticisms to Rawls's redistributive mechanics in A Theory of Justice. I am wondering whether there are also criticisms on the premise of arbitrariness of moral desert.
I have ...
- 121
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
Which most modern populous countries exhibit rabble or pure oligarchy according to Aristotle?
It is therefore the greatest happiness which the citizens can enjoy to possess a moderate and convenient fortune; for when some possess too much, and others nothing at [1296a] all, the government must ...
- 101
2
votes
0
answers
185
views
Kant, suicide, and the unalienable right to life
Recently, after taking an introductory course in Kantian ethics — I am now familiar with the concepts of free will, duty-conception, the categorical imperative —, I was writing an essay on his ...
- 121
3
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Is the tyrannicide perpetrated by William Tell morally legitimate?
I have recently been reading Friedrich Schiller's fantastic Drama William Tell, in which he not only relates the folkloric-mythological origin of Switzerland upon its liberation from the yoke of the ...
- 103
0
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How do ethicists tackle the question "Is it immoral to have sex in public places?" Is it possible to use rational and empirical ideas to answer?
Is it immoral to have sex in public places? If so, what are the rational and empirical reasons?
Most people believe it’s immoral to have sex in public places. Have ethicists come up with any good ...
0
votes
2
answers
114
views
Boundary case on the morality of torture [closed]
Most everyone would agree that "cold-blooded" torture is morally wrong. We agree so much so that many assume it's objectively wrong.
That being said, imagine this thought experiment:
A ...
- 111
0
votes
1
answer
685
views
Is there any professional treatment of Chappelle's remarks on abortion and abandonment?
In his Sticks & Stones Netflix special, Dave Chappelle has an interest argument regarding abortion and child abandonment. You can find a link to he bit and a transcription below.
Chappelle argues ...
- 169
2
votes
2
answers
112
views
Formal logic on rightfulness
Is there a kind of logic that could easily formulate this kind of statement: X has the right to do Y?
Or more generally: An object that has the property X (or in a set X) could also choose to have ...
- 339
-1
votes
1
answer
124
views
Where can I find arguments for animal rights?
I'm asking this question on behalf of https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/users/47/curi
I'm a philosopher (and programmer) attempting to research and diagram arguments relating to animal rights. I'm ...
- 8,160
2
votes
3
answers
205
views
Is this a logical fallacy or simply a bad argument?
In my English class today, we were talking about thesis statements. One of the students said that one of the thesis statements didn't sound right; its syntax sounded odd. However, my teacher said that ...
- 121
1
vote
3
answers
223
views
Who was the first philosopher of property?
I assume that the idea of property already existed in ancient Greece, else there would be no slaves -- at least no privately owned slaves. Yes, I know that litte about the Greeks.
Who was the first ...
user38026
3
votes
1
answer
241
views
Hobbes: Theory of value vs Theory of right action
What does it mean when someone says Hobbes has a “subjective” theory of value and an “objective” theory of right action?
Does "objective" in this sense still mean fact-based? And if so, how are the ...
user42722
1
vote
2
answers
617
views
Is freedom from discrimination a positive or a negative right?
Because of the recent controversy regarding pronouns on Meta, I started thinking about this question. In general, is freedom from discrimination as protected in most modern liberal states a positive ...
- 111
3
votes
2
answers
425
views
Is it immoral to kill a philosophical zombie?
Is unplugging a robot from power the same as killing a person? As the commenters said this does not quite work because robots can be plugged back in. So let's replace robots with philosophical zombies,...
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
107
views
Ethics of saying "this cause is a just cause, but now is not the time to fight for it"?
This question stems from a discussion I heard with regards to LGBTQ rights in Arab and Muslim communities:
Arab progressive: LGBTQ rights are very important, and I respect LGBTQ people and think ...
- 27.7k
7
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How to disprove "I'm entitled to my opinion"
Background
There is an article in The Conversation that attempts to disprove the notion that people are "entitled to their opinions." That is, people have a right to believe whatever they ...
- 173
3
votes
8
answers
8k
views
When does something immoral become morally justifiable?
There are actions in human societies which are considered immoral/unethical. Most of them have to do with causing harm to other members of the community and violating their rights as they are defined ...
- 39
6
votes
5
answers
461
views
Do future selves have duties to the current self?
I think there are clear cases in which my future selves have rights against me (or I have duties to my future selves). For example, my future selves have the right to enjoy a healthy life and thus I ...
- 162
1
vote
1
answer
134
views
What's power that one doesn't want to recognize as power?
What's power that one doesn't want to recognize as power?
It's a dichotomy. On the other hand someone or some group claims power, but if one refuses it, then does it exist or not? If it exists, ...
- 3,094
1
vote
3
answers
88
views
Why aren't always defeated rights, legal rights?
Source: Benatar, David. Better Never to Have Been (2008 1 edn). pp. 104-105.
It is widely thought that these considerations are sufficient to
justify a legal right to have children. However, ...
user8572
3
votes
3
answers
267
views
Is Google Duplex unethical if it doesn’t specifically identify itself as a non-human?
The recent Google Duplex demo caused a firestorm of criticism online.
One of the things that I kept hearing was that it was an unethical deception for an AI system to present itself as a human caller....
- 137
5
votes
2
answers
252
views
Is it my right to choose to violate the law?
Is it my right to choose not to follow the law, provided I accept to bear the consequences?
Or should I be forced to follow it at all times?
The point is not whether it's right to violate the law ...
- 151
3
votes
7
answers
759
views
Can one be pragmatic when dealing with ethnic groups without being racist?
Situation A: A terrorist attack has just occurred and out of the several possible suspects, one of them belongs to an ethnicity notorious for violent behavior and extremist beliefs. The authorities ...
- 27.7k
-2
votes
3
answers
621
views
Why are abortions considered a "right", rather than a privilege?
By rights, one means an entitlement a person has to do something.
Abortion, on the other hand, does not concern the pregnant woman doing something. People don't do abortions on themselves. Rather, ...
- 7
2
votes
3
answers
726
views
How is it that humans can contemplate individual liberty for some while at the same time accept the idea of owning and selling fellow humans?
The Enlightenment was a period in which concepts such as individual rights, individual liberty, and equality began to gain popularity. Yet it is precisely in this same period that the slaves trade is ...
- 155
5
votes
3
answers
278
views
Ownership of the commons
A recent article from The Guardian explores the ambitions of the Luxembourg government in developing commercial space activity in the country. This move was partly enfranchised in the law. As the ...
- 958
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
Why is invasion of privacy necessarily a bad thing? [closed]
In discussions of all kinds of topics, the notion of invasion of privacy can often come up, and it is usually invoked as something which is matter-of-factly wrong, with no further arguments presented ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is it ever acceptable to go by the principle of "guilty until proven innocent"?
I have been following the news about the current US administration reversing the Obama administration's policies on campus sexual assault.
The two opposing positions can be summed as following:
(A)...
- 27.7k
1
vote
1
answer
202
views
What is the relation of natural rights to human rights ? [closed]
Assuming that there are natural rights and human rights, are they co-extensive - so that to have (all) natural rights is to have (all) human rights and vice versa? Is there any difference in their ...
- 189
6
votes
5
answers
839
views
How do feminist thinkers justify choice feminism?
Choice feminism (see here, here, and here) includes the idea that women can occupy traditional roles (housewife, stay at home mom, etc...) and still be regarded as feminists, as long as it's their own ...
- 27.7k
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Practical differences between a 'duty' and a 'rights' based ethical framework
In this SEP entry, the author states that African Ethics are ethics ...
... of Duty, Not of Rights
[...]
A morality of duty is one that requires each individual to demonstrate concern for the ...
- 567
5
votes
1
answer
175
views
Can one find in the writings of Ayn Rand a definitive list of rights?
Is there to be found anywhere in the writings, lectures or interviews of Ayn Rand a precisely-formulated list of rights, with or without justifications or explanations? In other words, did she ever ...
0
votes
6
answers
306
views
Should the debate about the ethics of meat consumption focus around sentience and the ability to suffer?
I have been reading a little bit about the problem of consuming meat ethically.
As much as I find the ethical argument compelling I have some reservations regarding
the inconsistency with which it ...
- 135
1
vote
5
answers
1k
views
Is deriving natural rights from nature a logical fallacy?
According to the view of natural rights, rights are derived from nature (a la John Locke), and these rights are possessed by all humans by virtue of being human.
To provide an example based on my ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
38
views
Can conception of rights of citizens be sustained in a society characterized by racial discrimination?
Can a society which needs affirmative action to correct historical injustice still be able to uphold rights of its citizens?
-2
votes
3
answers
273
views
Is an AI the kind of entity that would qualify for basic human rights? [closed]
If hypothetically someone were to create an artificial intelligence possessing systemic consciousness nearby that of humans, then would that separate entity be entitled to basic rights such as those ...
- 123
4
votes
3
answers
279
views
Who (else) dislikes rights?
I continually run across arguments where people fail to understand that morality is not always and automatically about rights per se, and particularly not necessarily about the intellectual equivalent ...
user9166
2
votes
1
answer
634
views
Can I steal my organs back? [closed]
What ethical standards or well-known arguments address the conflict between reclaiming property taken from me against my will (in a word, "stolen"), and honoring the right to life of the person ...
- 131
0
votes
8
answers
2k
views
Does a person have the freedom or the right to not work?
Ethically and morally, does a person have the freedom or the right to not work? If it is so, is it conditional or not and how?
My first idea is that if everyone in the world does not work, then the ...
- 27