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8050 | There are no natural or human rights, and belief in them is nonsense [MacIntyre] |
Full Idea: There are no natural or human rights, and belief in them is one with belief in witches and in unicorns. | |
From: Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue: a Study in Moral Theory [1981], Ch. 6) | |
A reaction: His point is that the notion of 'rights' only arises out of a community. However, while you might criticise an individual for absurdly asserting all sorts of dubious rights, no one could criticise them if they asserted the right to defend their own life. |