Let’s stop talking about “rights”, or at least don’t assert them as unquestionable givens « Why Evolution Is True

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/lets-stop-talking-about-rights-or-at-least-dont-assert-them-as-unquestionable-givens/

I would prefer that we simply stop talking about "rights." That, of course, won't happen. But if we continue to do so, we should make it clear that they are social preferences, codified into law and behavior, that exist for reasons. This means that they are open for discussion, for of course "rights" will change as society changes. We now have a "right" to assisted dying (or so I feel), but that is something that reflects a chance in society's mores. Rather than "rights", I'd say "right", as in "it is the right thing to do to allow gays to marry". Or "it is the right thing to do to allow the terminally ill to end their own lives." Such a view allows us to discuss why these things are "right," and leads to possibility of constructive dialogue and examination of our own beliefs.

---Steve