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Human rights: a further blow : Comments
By Meg Wallace, published 2/11/2011What is it with human rights? Does anyone really want them?
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“A pity Peter, I was hoping you would explain why- but you never mentioned them again”
I did explain – in the very next sentence.
“but rather insinuated they are comparable to slavery”
I didn’t “insinuate” they are comparable to slavery: I showed that they both rely on the coerced taking of the fruits of someone else’s labour.
“It's a fact of life that …you would likely be living within a society and benefitting from the services that everybody else is paying for in some form; for them to expect every member to help subsidize it is perfectly fair.”
The issue is not “services that everybody is paying for in some form”, because that would confuse voluntarily-funded with coerced services.
Your argument only begs the question why I, or anyone, should be able to obtain the benefit of services that others are forced to pay for.
It is no justification to say “It is fair because it is fair”, which is all that your argument amounts to. The question is, why is it fair if no-one can show what distinguishes it from coercion which is a human rights abuse?
Besides, it’s not true that “every member” pays for tax-funded services, that’s the whole point. It’s an arrangement by which some are forced to work and pay so that others can receive without working or paying.
So since you think the ethical distinction between taxation and slavery is so obvious that it goes without say - what is it?
Squeers
You are very advanced. You advocate human rights for vegetables when you don’t admit them for human beings.
Ralph
Why is it okay for the State to force people into funding or obeying the arbitrary moral opinions of others, but not the Church?