Aug 2015
The Tribune Papers: "...Keep Talking"
“...One important factor historically separating Western Civilization from other civilizations was its belief in individual rights. Among these would be freedom of speech, the right to worship as one pleases, and freedom of assembly. Individuals are respected and held to high expectations. Today, “rights” is but one word whose definition is being shifted to compromise personal freedoms.
In Europe, now, people talk about community rights. They advocate for rights to housing, healthcare, and other characteristics of a welfare state. This form of rights is harder to defend on a premise of natural rights, endowed by a Creator, since groups are human inventions. A more serious problem, notes Rose, is that dilution of the definition eases civilizations glide down a slippery slope from a “free society” to a “fear society.”
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In Europe, now, people talk about community rights. They advocate for rights to housing, healthcare, and other characteristics of a welfare state. This form of rights is harder to defend on a premise of natural rights, endowed by a Creator, since groups are human inventions. A more serious problem, notes Rose, is that dilution of the definition eases civilizations glide down a slippery slope from a “free society” to a “fear society.”
Read more