Do Rights Exist?

in #philosophy8 years ago

A law is a claim that is backed by a threat that, should you disobey the claim, you will face punishment up to and including death. After all, an enforcer of the law must be willing to escalate the enforcement of that law to the point of killing, otherwise the majority would just ignore said law.

Rights seem to work in very much the same way. It is a claim that you are entitled to a thing and should somebody contest that entitlement you will defend the claim with force, lethal force if needed. Which begs the question, do rights exist? Or are they mere privileges that you have only so long as you, or others, are able and willing to defend the claim of entitlement?

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Free speech is a very important right. Using lethal force to defend it seems right to me. However, how do you think 'lower' rights, such as a hypothetical right to not work over 8 hours in a single day, work? Should lethal force be used in these cases?

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