Everyone wants to be happy and reason tells us that happiness is best achieved when we exercise a certain respect for the values of life and for the autonomy of individuals--otherwise often referred to as human rights and freedoms.
If the above were true there never would have been infanticide, slavery or a host of other evils.
Because we require these rights and freedoms for our own safety and happiness, rational self interest motivates us to fight for these rights for all people.
Problem. As long as an individual has his own, he isn't personally hurt (except his conscience) when others suffer. History shows this to be a fact.
Not to mention the whole issue of what rights and freedoms people have is controversial. A few days ago, an EU official said people have a right to travel abroad on vacation.
In addition to that, all humans (or at least most) have a natural compassion for life and a recognition of the interrelationship and interdependence of all life, so it only behooves us to correctly channel this compassion through reason.
Ha ha. If we could rely on natural compassion etc, there'd never have been slavery, infanticide, etc.
Just as I thought, you have only myths to fall back on. Natural compassion, reason ... Open a few history books. |
