Civil Discourse: Property Rights

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by Griff

I believe that all natural rights are a social convention.

(snip)

The best we can hope for is that superior power stay in the hands of those who support human rights.

I have no idea what these two statements mean when placed side by side. If all rights are convention, then what are "human rights"? The conventions a society ought to have? Where does that ought derive from?

[Griff]

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

I have no idea what these two statements mean when placed side by side. If all rights are convention, then what are "human rights"?

The bottom-line conventions of our society as enumerated in the document separating us from the British Empire. Even though labeled by Locke as natural rights, these rights only belonged to the colonists after they used force to attain them.

The conventions a society ought to have? Where does that ought derive from?

The imagination of John Locke and the business end of a rifle.