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> There's no natural rights to anything, and it's the law of the jungle. Except the crowning achievement of our civilisation is the realisation that there are
by somewhereoutth 3y ago
> There's no natural rights to anything, and it's the law of the jungle.
Except the crowning achievement of our civilisation is the realisation that there are natural rights (see UN Declaration of Human Rights, US Constitution etc). Indeed, the Rule of Law is perhaps a greater achievement than democracy, and from a jungle perspective not self evident. The property rights you allude to are also part of this Rule of Law, otherwise stuff would belong to whoever was strong enough to take it!
- chii 3y agoThat's why i call it a veneer. Just have a look at the blackout of New York https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_blackout_of_1977#Crime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_blackout_of_1977... , and how much crime it led to, just because the veneer is torn off. People are only civil because they fear the threat of punishment. As soon as this threat is removed, or is evident that it's unenforceable, you tell me what "natural rights" exist?
- somewhereoutth 3y agoGenerally speaking, people become uncivil only when under extreme stress (e.g. of poverty). Most people are inherently civil in their nature, hence we have a civilisation that reflects this fact. Contrast Portugal, with almost no crime, vs the US, with well documented crime problems. Certainly punishments are no harsher in Portugal than the US, if anything the reverse. However in Portugal people aren't as financially stressed as in the US, not least as everyone has access to healthcare, justice, democracy etc regardless of ability to pay. See also the concept of 'policing by consent' in the UK.