Thinking that way, btw, is bound to make you feel bitter. Why should you pay for other people? Why not think of it as insurance instead (social security)? Less

Thinking that way, btw, is bound to make you feel bitter. Why should you pay for other people? Why not think of it as insurance instead (social security)? Less desperate people means less muggers on the street. Less sick people means less risk to get infected yourself. Plus, should you ever happen to fall on hard times yourself (god forbid), you would be provided for. I believe in selfishness as the best basis for a society, and I still think it is in favor of social security and public health care. Discussing fundamental rights is bound to be bullshit. The only right that exists is the right of the stronger party (established by guns, majority votes etc). If the stronger party believes x is a right, it is a right. So if a majority of voters in a democracy is convinced x is a right (perhaps because the better smooth talker convinced them), it can become a right. That is all there is to it. Philosophy is irrelevant.