Where do Human Rights come from?

Answer 1

humans, i guess. in the american declaration of independance people are "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." so...some would argue that we get our human rights from our creator; God.

Answer 2

Humans.

Answer 3

To answer the question: The United Nations responding to a Majority opinion chartered The International Bill of Human Rights. It was, of course. inspired by the US Bill of Rights which some say came from Locke and others claim from the Cherokee

Answer 4

From the desire to dominate other humans. The idea of rights emerged at the same time that the most comprehensive forms of domination by the state emerged. The idea of rights served as a justification for the (unjust) wealth of the upper classes. By getting the populace to believe that everybody had equal rights, the upper classes were able to convince the populace that their right to their property was the same as the right of the upper classes to their property. (Everybody has a universal right to property, the fact that this benefits those with property is just pure coincidence, right?) Once the lower classes internalized the values of the upper classes, the lower classes respected the property of the upper classes more (even if that property was unjustly acquired.) If the lower classes seriously believe in the right of the wealthy to their property, that is a far more efficient policing tactic than brute force. The lower classes police themselves because they come to believe that their rights are connected, morally, to the rights of those who had oppressed them.

The idea of human rights today is just the latest incarnation of this idea. Interesting to note, though, that the idea of human rights is inherently biased toward those with power: obviously the right to property benefits the millionaire more than the Sudanese peasant (and justifies the millionaire spending his money on luxury cars instead of giving part of it to save the life of the peasant), but it also serves the interest of power by making the idea of moral obligation ambiguous. If, for example, moral theory is based on the idea of minimizing suffering, what is required of each person is fairly unambiguous: those who are able to should give to charities. But if moral theory is based on rights, the problem of moral obligation can never be resolved. You can never empirically or objectively demonstrate the right of a person to anything. The idea of rights supported slavery in america for 80 years. Slave-owners pointed to their right to property to justify the slave system, and simply denied the right of the slaves to freedom. The ambiguity of rights (that you cannot demonstrate rights, only assert them) means that whichever group is in power is able to assert their conception of rights, and no other groups has any ability to effectively argue against that assertion. Is it any coincidence that the first nation founded on rights was also the last modern nation to abolish slavery? I don't think so. The inherent ambiguity of rights serves the interests of those in power.

As long as we assert human rights, I don't think the problems of the world can be seriously addressed. One side can say that there exist human rights to food, shelter, education, water, etc. and the other side can deny these rights. And there can never be any reconciliation until one group permanently gains power over the other. Rights are not things that can be shown, only things that can be assumed. Combine this intrinsic ambiguity with the inherent bias "rights" has with those that already have property, and the justification it provides to people to focus on their own private interests, and there is a major problem. Thinking that we can solve the problems inherent with rights by postulating more rights in naive, i think. One day the problems of the world may be solved, and they may even be solved through a rights discourse, but if they are, it will not be out of any reasoned moral debate, but out of the eventual winning out of one side over the other in a power struggle.

Answer 5

I think we are all born with an internal set of rules, that pull at our concious. There are some laws/rules that are learned as we mature based on our paticular society, and others are just a part of who we are. These are the laws that are universal to all countries / culture (Stealing, Murdering, lying, ect.)

Answer 6

The innate desire to be free, have shelter and food. Human Rights come from our desire to be equal, and the ability to pursue happiness.

Answer 7

It comes from the desire of being treated with respect (respect for life, property, ect.), and giving the same respect to others. Everyone desires to be treated with respect and should therefore treat others with the same respect they would like.

Answer 8

The moders idea form the Enlightment ;period, you can read John Locke

Answer 9

From empathy, and from a few outspoken, well-spoken empathizers.

Answer 10

assumed by 200+ yr old dead people who believed in God etc.