All Posts Tagged With: "positive rights"
The Individual and the Community
Last May sociologist Amitai Etzioni participated in a debate hosted by the Cato Institute in which he argued against the classical-liberal theory as being too atomistic, excessively concerned with selfish individualism, and neglectful of the importance of community. He’s been making this point for 20 years, which is strange for two reasons: First, it isn’t [...]
26Oct2011 | Aeon J. Skoble | 1 comment | ContinuedWhich Strategy Really Ended the Great Depression?
“World War II got us out of the Great Depression.” Many people said that during the war, and some still do today. The quality of American life, however, was precarious during the war. Food was rationed, luxuries removed, taxes high, and work dangerous. A recovery that does not make—as Robert Higgs points out in Depression, [...]
24Aug2011 | Burton W. Folsom Jr. | 6 comments | ContinuedThe Power of Freedom: Uniting Human Rights and Development
Jean-Pierre Chauffour, an economic adviser at the World Bank, constructs a framework within which human rights and economic development are mutually consistent. His book is a response to policymakers and academics who view economic development as a “fundamental right” calling for government intervention; it demonstrates that the policy prescriptions derived from their ideas are counterproductive [...]
20Apr2010 | Rosemary Fike | 0 comments | ContinuedPositive Rights as Means Not Ends
Even though the House passed so-called “health care reform,” the debate over “entitlements” will not be going away. This is especially true if, as I believe, the bill makes things worse not better.
25Mar2010 | Steven Horwitz | 11 comments | ContinuedRights Versus Wishes
Critics of the U.S. health-care system often suggest that we should adopt the single-payer universal systems of other countries. The serious problems encountered by those systems are increasingly documented and well known, such as the long waiting lists, restrictions on physician choice, and rationing in countries such as Canada, Italy, Greece, and the United Kingdom. [...]
1May2008 | Walter E. Williams | 0 comments | ContinuedLife, Liberty, and Retirement Pensions
The right to acquire property is a staple of liberal political theory. But why would anyone bother accumulating property? If my monthly expenses are a thousand dollars, then what use could I possibly have for any monthly income larger than a thousand dollars? I could plausibly reason that if I work harder today, I might [...]
1Sep2005 | Aeon J. Skoble | 1 comment | ContinuedOn Freedom of Association
Freedom of association is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The relevant portion states, “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging . . . the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” Seems simple enough. We may assemble ourselves into whatever peaceful associations we choose, and the government is forbidden [...]
1Jul2002 | Charles W. Baird | 11 comments | ContinuedThe Perils of Positive Rights
Tibor Machan is a professor at the Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University. One of the most powerful ideas opposed to the free society is a notion political philosophers call “positive rights.” Sounds good, doesn’t it? What could be wrong with being positive? Sounds like something out of Anthony Robbins or Norman Vincent [...]
1Apr2001 | Tibor R. Machan | 5 comments | ContinuedTwo Yardsticks of Morality
The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved. We were born some time ago, but know not why. We shall die some time, but know not when, where, and why. All we may ask: “What is it every man is seeking in his life? What does any man want?” He is seeking [...]
1Dec1996 | Hans F. Sennholz | 0 comments | ContinuedRights, Freedom, and Rivalry
Dr. Baird is director of the Smith Center, California State University, Hayward, and this month’s guest editor. The idea for this paper came out of a conversation the author recently had with Dwight Lee of the University of Georgia (see pp. 663-666). A conversation with Dwight Lee is always fruitful. Packaging counts. This maxim of [...]
1Oct1996 | Charles W. Baird | 0 comments | ContinuedLiberty for the 21st Century, Contemporary Libertarian Thought
Mr. Carolan is the executive editor of National Review. This is a substantive book, written almost entirely by professional academics, and full of abstract language about things like deontology, meta-normative principles, and prisoner’s dilemmas. Not easy reading at times. But working through Liberty for the 21st Century is worthwhile. It is thought-provoking, challenging, and will [...]
1Oct1996 | Matthew Carolan | 0 comments | ContinuedLiberty and Responsibility: Inseparable Ideals
Dr. More is president of Extropy Institute in Marina Del Rey, California. He may be reached at more@extropy.org. The founders of the American political and economic system felt a burning desire to establish a country of unprecedented liberty. Many of those who endured the arduous journey to the New World left behind religious oppression and [...]
1Jul1996 | Max More | 6 comments | Continued-
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