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The Universality of Human Rights (Part 2) – TBWJP011

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Universal Rights

This podcast is the second installment of a series of recordings about rights. This particular segment discusses the notion of universality in rights. The argument here is that there is no universality in the notion of rights.

That understanding presupposes the concept of rights is relative to a particular social setting or a culture. What is righteous to some may not be so for others. This reality often creates problems for the individual.

What is right then? The answer is not clear. In many cases, however, the notion itself is an intellectual device or a public stunt, which purpose is to pacify members of society.

Rights as a Gimmick

In many cases, an individual right is a gimmick.  The collective is preponderant over the individual. In other words, the rights of the collective precede the rights of the individual. Hence, in many instances, the individual has no rights, which the collective must acknowledge.

I believe in universal rights. By that, I mean inalienable rights. I am also referring to rights that could not [or should not] be undermined by any individual or by any collective group.

Rights of All

A universal right should not be understood as the type of rights, which is applicable to a specific breed of people. It should not be the rights of a particular group. A right is an inherent state of being.

What I am saying here is that every being must be. Therefore, every being has a right to be. This is so regardless of geographic location, social structure, or even culture.

Whether or not such a being is a humanoid or else is irrelevant. So long as the being exists, he/she/it has a right to be. Such rights, I would echo, should never be undermined.

A right, so long as it is not based on a privilege, is inalienable. I would also argue this is the essence of a human right. Looking at the term otherwise would only engender discrimination, exclusion, racism, and other societal conflicts.

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Ben Wood Johnson

Ben Wood Johnson is an author, educator, and philosopher. He is a multidisciplinary scholar. He writes about Philosophy, Legal Theory, Public/Foreign Policy, Education, Politics, Ethics, Race, and Crime. Johnson graduated from Penn State and Villanova University. He is fluent in French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. Johnson enjoys reading, poetry, painting, and music.

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