What Is A "Human Right"? - The Desert Island Test
There is a great debate in America today about so-called "basic human rights". The Declaration Of Independence famously lists "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" among them. The US Constitution adds several others, such as self-defense (2nd Amendment), conscience (1st Amendment), and property (4th and 5th Amendments). But what about health care? Housing? Employment? Food? Are these also "basic human rights"? A good test of whether something is a basic right or not is to consider whether it is a right that exists in the absence of government. For example, if you were alone on a deserted island, do you have the right to worship (or not) as you choose? Yes. Then worship, as part of conscience, is a basic human right. The government does not and cannot grant this right. It can only curtail it. What about self-defense? Certainly, if you have a right to life, you have a right to defend that life. Therefore, this is a basic human right. The governmen...