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The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America...
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government....
These ideas are analogous to saying physics comes from man or god.
"Nature's God entitles them to a separate and equal station."
"All men are created equal." Created--by whom?
"They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights."
"We appeal to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions."
"We rely upon the protection of Divine Providence."
ideas floating around these days. . by its nature,
a scorpion is designed to sting. . we are designed
to be free, make choices, own stuff and produce.
if a government or a society can grant "rights," it can
make us slaves. . I believe that is their intent. -- j
Rights are universal and come from God or, if you’d like, from the natural order of things.
"If Cuomo wants to argue the point further, I suggest he take it up with Thomas Jefferson. I guarantee he’ll lose that debate".
That's exactly what he said and what he meant. "if you’d like, from the natural order of things".
You seem to have a problem with our Bill of Rights with your comment about it being the third testament of the Bible.
I can't understand why so few people recognize the Consensus/Agreement aspects of all these things we keep calling 'rights'!
Y'know, if enough morons get together and AGREE on it, "the right to a government-paid smart phone" can become a "right" just like so many other stupid things. Consensus is all it takes, with or without any Help From God...
Thanks!
So Locke 'formulated' the concept of Natural Rights.
ok, I'm fine with that...
BUT... Natural Rights can only exist if there's consensus in the tribe, group, society, culture, whatever... that Natural Rights accrue to its members. Anyway, that's my position on it.
The list of 'immoral and illegal' acts are also 'by agreement' BECAUSE they don't jibe with AGREED-upon definitions of "Natural Rights."
imnsho. And I DO like the list you put forth of those Natural Rights (of self-ownership and its implications)!
Oh, wait... that still leaves open the argument/discussion of WHEN those "Rights" accrue to your "Self"... viz: the whole abortion 'rights' 'discussion.'
Oh, well...
Cheers!
Your line of reasoning is based on anti-conceptual reasoning. Only immediate reality is real. This is not profound, it is intellectually dishonest and lazy.
---Which is the issue I was raising and the point which I was attempting to make... which I do not think you addressed in your reply.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-... is another one I found quite interesting, too...
But so far, all of them comprise a kind of mutual circle-jerk of rationalizing the irrational... that these "Laws" or "Rights" spring from some Source's forehead and manifest themselves into the world, and NOT that they're all an invention of people And Consensus, listed and collected as "nice rules to follow so that we don't all go out and kill each other."
So, thank you for prompting me to become more educated. It worked. I now have a somewhat better understanding of some of the roots of Locke's principles.
On the other hand, it's also shown me that the arguments put forth are not as iron-clad as Believers In Locke might like to think... there are still unanswered Socratic questions in the realm of "Ok, Where Did THAT Come From?".
I'm sorry if you can't see the contradiction in the 'explanations and education' I've been offered.
I'm astounded...
I'm saying the "What Is" is that humans created ALL 'rules' including the concept of "Natural Rights" and it's not relevant or dependent on What IS or What 'Should Be.'
But, since you seem to be married to your opinion, enjoy it. That, too, does not make it any more 'right' than what I've been saying, other than you think it does. And you still can't manage that self-contradiction...
But hey, I'm just an old fart EE... what the hell do _I_ know about philosophy?!
:)
Unlike Some Special Laws...
Hey, thank you, too. This has been almost as fun as chocolate but nowhere near as much fun as sex.
If your rights come from a phone and a pen, that's your problem.
Why do I feel like loudly spitting chewing tobacco right now? I hate chewing tobacco.
Are you at all aware at the nonsequitur nature of that statement?! To claim that, because we don't (yet) "know where we came from" that The Obvious Answer is "God Created It All"???
"There must be a God"?
Wow... and I thought Reason and Rationality would be ubiquitous around here.... such a disappointment.
From my site.. http://www.plusaf.com/pix/homepagepix/pr...
Far too many people barely think at all let alone strive to create (outside of procreation). To believe the above is to present an elite class, very much like the apparent governing elite in America today and any enlightened group in leftist/socialist/communist societies. While I would support an objectivist as POTUS and a flock of them in SCOTUS I wonder if they would, because they would believe themselves enlightened, be any better that what we already have.
If all men be equal, than let their standard be beyond their influence to control, limit or remove from another.
We are the only animal capable of conceptualizing Rights and they must be based on our Nature as Humans and not on any God or what any Men assert. No one can take away our Nature.
I know I'm being difficult and I apologize. I just can't see this particular issue as cut-and-dry as Objectivism would have it. There is much we do not know and with free will we are not made to do anything.
There is a clear and unambiguous separation between man and the rest of creation in every possible respect. Clearly, sentience is more than being able to interact with one's environment.
To try to split hairs between consciousness and sentience to me is ridiculous.
To assert that my Rights come from God would necessitate me having sensed this God which I have never experienced. Hence I conclude that this explanation for my Rights is incorrect.
To assert that my Rights come from Man would necessitate proof that Plato's philosopher-king could actually exist and be capable of determining the Rights of all other men. I have seen no such proof. Hence I conclude this explanation is incorrect.
Since our Rights can only come from God, Man, or from our Nature as Humans, and the first two being incorrect, the only possibility left is the third.
"Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well. The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self -delusion— in the long run, these are the only people who count. —Robert A. Heinlein"
And second:
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded— here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as ‘bad luck.’” —Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
We're born with equal rights, but equal ability, not so much. One of the biggest mistakes we've ever made is make voting rights equal to all. A few of the Founders were enlightened and gave to their compatriots and the rest of us a fantastic opportunity. We've allowed the concept of equality put forth by the church, statist and their cronies to nearly destroy us.
"endowed by their Creator" was included simply as a fallacious argument. It amounts to saying, "The [imaginary] King of Everything has endorsed MY view, so the rest of you shut up!"
God is the world's oldest sock-puppet. People have been forging his name to arguments since before recorded history.
The exact language of the bill of rights comes from man and from collective agreement. The underlying rights are inalienable. Thus, in the context of an argument over the definition of marriage and the application of the "equal protection" clause of the Constitution - the whole thing comes from man - not god. And can be redefined by man in any way that our society sees fit. So long as it does not violate one of the inalienable rights.
Cuomo. Want to bet he's the son of a certain NYC mayor and just as brainwashed?
Inalienable vs. unalienable
English has changed since the founders of the United States used unalienable in the signed final draft of their 1776 Declaration of Independence (some earlier drafts and later copies have inalienable). Inalienable, which means exactly the same thing—both mean incapable of being transferred to another or others—is now the preferred form. Unalienable mainly appears in quotes of or references to the Declaration. Inalienable prevails everywhere else.