A very profound argument being raised here in this column. Think on these things.
In the exercise of logic and reason, a thing either is or it is not. That is the root of the concept of positive and negative rights. A positive right is a right that obliges action; a negative right implies the converse – no action.
For example, the First Amendment of our Constitution forbids government from some actions that create positive rights for American citizens:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The concept of negative rights implies that while we do have a positive Constitutional right to free speech, we also have the negative right to not listen to speech of others, to essentially ignore them. Government cannot force us to…
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Right From Yaad 