On Rights Duties

Rights
• Rights are due to a man precisely becau
se he is a person, and therefore, posses
sing worth and dignity. Man is not mere
ly a piece of matter, a robot, a tool, a bu
ndle of drives, or a meaningless questio
n mark as some philosophers would red
uce him to. He is a perso; he has the po
wer to think, judge and reason.
• Right, loosely speaking, is anything due t
o a person. In a stricter sense, right is a
moral power residing in a person, in virt
ue whereof he refers to himself as well a
s his own actions as also other things, w
hich stand referred to him in preference
to other persons.(Joseph Ricaby, S.J.)
Notion of Rights
• Right is anything which is owned or due.
• Right is the moral power, bound to be r
espected by others.
Classification of R
ight
Natural Rights
• based on the natural law
• ex. Life and Liberty
• Socialisation and Relationships
• Personal beliefs and values
Moral Rights
• ex. Right of integrity
• Right of attribution
Human Rights

• based on human positive law.

• - inherent to all human beings. This Rights guarantee

d by law.

• ex. Right to work

• Freedom of expression

• Pursuit of happiness
Types of Human Righ
ts
Individual (civil) rights
• life, liberty, and security of the person; privacy and f
reedom of movement; ownership of property; free
dom of thought, conscience, and religious belief an
d practice; prohibition of slavery, torture, and cruel
or degrading punishment.
Rule of Law
• Rule of law
• equal recognition before the law and equal protecti
on of the law; effective legal remedy for violation of
rights; impartial hearing and trial; presumption of i
nnocence; and prohibition of arbitrary arrest.
Rights of political express
ion
• freedom of expression, assembly, and association; t
he right to take part in government; and periodic an
d meaningful elections with universal and equal su
ffrage.
Economic and social rights
• an adequate standard of living; free choice of empl
oyment; protection against unemployment; "just an
d favorable remuneration"; the right to form and joi
n trade unions; "reasonable limitation of working h
ours"; free elementary education; social security; a
nd the "highest attainable standard of physical and
mental health."
Rights of communities
• self-determination and protection of minority cultu
res.
Legal Rights

• legal rights means those rights which are recognize

d, protected and restricted by a particular statutory
law.

• ex. Right to vote

Three types of Legal Rights

• * Civil Rights

• * Political Rights

• * Economic Rights
• Reciprocity of Rights and Duties In interperso
nal relationships, rights and duties are recipr
ocal. The right of one person implies in anoth
er the duty to respect that right.
Duties
• Duty is an obligation and a right is a enti
tlement. They may exist as a moral or a l
egal matter. For example, morally, a per
son may have a duty not to hurt anothe
r's feelings.