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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: one_less who wrote (80768)6/23/2004 2:36:34 PM
From: Solon  Read Replies (1) of 82486
 
"there is no circumstance where one natural right needs to be trumped by any other or consequated by another"

As I said to Tim: His right to free association is not Absolute. It does not allow him to violate the rights of others.

But you and I were not talking about natural rights trumping natural rights. I have said repeatedly that rights do not trump rights. We were talking about your freedom of conscience trumping natural rights. I have repeatedly said to you that where your freedom of conscience runs afoul of the natural rights of others then others may use force against you. I explained to you that I did not mean "runs afoul" to refer to your thoughts...but only to the actions consequential to those thoughts.

Freedom of conscience is a natural right. But ACTING on your conscience in violation of the rights of others is NOT a natural right. Your right to your beliefs is unrestricted. Your right to act is restricted by the natural rights of others and by the rules and regulations enacted by your society.

As I explained to you: All people hold different beliefs about what is or is not right behaviour. When your beliefs--your conscience--urges behaviour which violates natural rights or actual laws...then society may forcibly restrict you or punish you. If this was not the case, society would be in a shambles of anarchy and chaos. No rights of any kind--natural or otherwise--could be honored or enforced.

I don't know why this is so difficult for you to understand. People DO NOT have the right to act to the arbitrary and capricious whims of personal conscience. They can THINK any way they choose. But they must ACT within certain defined parameters sanctioned by the society in which they live. Therefore Government DOES have the power and the right to force you to conform your behaviour to certain minimal standards. For instance, sexism would only be tolerated to a certain point. Likewise for racism, violence, thievery, and much else.

Freedom to ACT on conscience is NOT a natural right. If Tom Brown's conscience tells him to beat his wife for wearing high-heeled shoes...that is fine. But IF he beats her he will be forcibly dealt with by those having both the power and the right.
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