But since I introduced it into the conversation, what I meant is most relevant. Otherwise, it is simply a gambit to put words into my mouth.
A right is held against others. Your right is my (or our) duty. If you have a right to be left alone, it means I (or we) have an obligation to leave you alone. If it is against my inclination, the duty might be onerous. In any case, it is a claim on me.
Trust is a serious matter. My son depends on me, society expect me to play a central role in his upbringing, my wife chose to start a family with me, there are all sorts of people counting on me. Of course, I freely undertake it, in the sense that I could have avoided marriage, or had a vasectomy. But that is only one element in a web of responsibility.
We assert rights when trying to persuade people to do or forbear, or when enlisting aid in compelling compliance. To assert a claim is, than, a certain sort of appeal to conscience, meant to forestall a resort to violence or capitulation. |
