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Comment by bkeroack | Hacker News Reader

If every material thing that the developed world has is a "basic human right", then effectively nothing is a basic human right. Furthermore it conflates material comfort with the inherent inalienable rights that human beings are born with, which I think is quite dangerous.

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The only things that can be "human rights" are the things a society can consistently provide for just about everyone. The "human right" nomenclature just means we're going to spend some effort to push it from 98% to 100%.

Human rights aren't "provided" to you. You are born with them and they can never be taken away, only violated by thugs and tyrants.

That's not a consensual view.

No, there is no such thing. We are born with mirror neurons, empathy, instincts for cooperation perhaps, but it doesn't make sense to say you are born with rights. Rights are a social construct.

if not "provide" than "ensure" ... although if you feel that food, clean water, shelter, or health are human rights those are things you aren't necessarily born with.

Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity. It's not all lost, we still have a chance.

Edit: I was serious. I really liked what you said, especially: "Human rights aren't "provided" to you. You are born with them and they can never be taken away, only violated by thugs and tyrants."

I upvoted. :-)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_I...

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