Abstract
Human rights certainly seem like a good idea but are they morally sound? Human rights do not figure in the major moral theories. Deontology holds that we have duties to one another, not rights. Virtue ethics holds that we should act well to one another. Utilitarianism does not go much for individual duties or rights at all but rather for what is best for the majority. The problem with rights for philosophers is that they seem to ‘top slice’ a limited set of moral demands rather than ensuring a fair slice of the cake for all. MacIntyre points out that there is no word for ‘rights’ in any language prior to the 14th century. The idea of a moral right is ancient however. The theme of Sophocles’ play Antigone is that there is an inherent higher law that binds even the king. …
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