Ariadne's Thread on Property
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  Dee Speaking

Speaker I just want to make a couple of points before we go any further:

  • First, we should understand that rights are extremely important, but they are not the whole of morality. Morality also includes ideas about goodness, charity, generosity, courage, and much more. Indeed, these things are sometimes at odds with our rights. We may have a right to do X but it may be a very bad thing to do. That surprises some people, but the relationship between our rights and the good is not a simple one.

  • Second, I've got a problem with your definition of a right. I agree with the first part. An individual has a right to do or have X if and only if others have a duty not to prevent X from doing or having X. But then you go on to say that we may have a right to have others provide us with something. You have to tread softly there. You can take that and run all the way to medicare and medicaid and every kind of welfare state program you like. Not so fast.


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