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Single Idea 20977

[from 'Anarchical Fallacies: on the Declaration of Rights' by Jeremy Bentham, in 24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 3. Natural Values / c. Natural rights ]

Full Idea

Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense — nonsense upon stilts.

Gist of Idea

Natural rights are nonsense, and unspecified natural rights is nonsense on stilts

Source

Jeremy Bentham (Anarchical Fallacies: on the Declaration of Rights [1796])


A Reaction

If you want your opinion to be remembered, express it memorably! I take natural rights to be the basic principles and values which are obvious to almost everyone when they come for formulate legal rights (which are the only true rights).