The word “rights” is a curious term. It is often used without thought or understanding of what it actually means. Is a right more than just things one feels they ought to be able to do? Where do they come from? Do they exist at all?
I often hear it said rights do not exist...they come only from the government. The idea of natural rights are, therefore, a myth. They do not come from a “creator” as some poetically wax, but instead from the system we live under. Positive rights exist at the whim of the government.
I put forth a defense of natural rights.
Man is born with a set of inalienable rights which can only be given up willingly. The freedom of thought, expression, movement, and association are the overarching themes that make up these rights. Man in nature is free. His liberty is unimpeded. These rights extend as far into the unknown as possible until they meet someone else’s. The point of contact between liberties are where conflicts arise. Thus, to avoid strife, man gives up some of his liberty to what Hobbes called “Leviathan,” the beast of security. Man gives up some of his liberty for stability.
It is abundantly clear to me: man’s rights extend as far as another’s rights allow.
Government is the agent of Leviathan. It allows for man to live in peace with his neighbor in a manner sustainable today, tomorrow, and into the future. But it is important to realize Leviathan and his agents are not creating rights for man. It is not out of the goodness of its heart that the beast allows man to be free. Instead it is man who feeds Leviathan with his liberty.
If man does not keep the beast in check, it will do nothing but grow beyond imagination.
While Leviathan does not create liberty, it can destroy it. The desire for security can lead to the beast becoming all-consuming. If man is to keep his rights, he must not allow Leviathan the power to remove them entirely.
It is the duty of every single person living in a community to understand what Leviathan is providing to them, and at what expense. Once the beast consumes liberty and creates its own power, it cannot be retaken without great cost.
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