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I thought rights were inalienable rather than granted by the state
by jjgreen 3y ago
I thought rights were inalienable rather than granted by the state
- AnimalMuppet 3y agoWithin the philosophical viewpoint that led to the Declaration of Independence, yes. Almost all governments aren't operating within that philosophy, though. (In fact, the US isn't, either[1].) So in practice, most governments do not grant to their citizens the same rights that the US does, no matter whether or not people should have those rights simply by virtue of being human. [1] "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights..." That is, God gave us certain rights, and nobody - not king or president, not parliament or Congress - has the legitimate authority to take them away. The US government does not operate on the basis of God-given rights; it operates on the basis of Constitution-given rights. It has done so, I think, ever since the Constitution.