On a mailing list I am on there has been discussion of ethics, specifically ethics as it applies to the willing submission of ones life to the cause and decisions of another. Many, many people there seem to feel that there is some external superior force (for some it’s god, for others its an external moral factor) that safeguards an inalienable “right to life”.
I wound up posting an in response to a question that centered, basically around two questions. I have paraphrased the questions (I have no permission to reproduce any text but my own) and my answers below…
What do you consider the source of a person’s “right to life”?
I don’t know that I recognize an inalienable “right” to anything. If by “right” we are going to continue to talk about something that exists outside of human decision.
I treat humans in a manner consistent with my ethics. My ethics can be more easily expressed in general things are best when humans are free to pursue their own will free from the violent imposition of the will of another. Note the “in general” there ๐ I tend to express these concepts as “rights”… because the term is fairly accurate in connotation.
That right has no external force or origin than my own beliefs… it did not “come from god”, it did not “come from the government”. It is something I treat as real because it makes me happier with my own actions to treat it as such. In essence I am the author and judge of my own ethics and morality. I recognize no higher moral authority and I submit to the judgment of no god or man on matters of ethics and morality.
In a very real way, someone has the “right” to their freedom and life simply because I choose to act as if it is so.
Why would consider you had more “right to life” than, say, a moth?
The only measure I can imagine for such a comparison would be either:
- my ability to create and provide value is much higher than that of a moth. I am “worth” more.
- my ability to conceive of, value and defend my own life is significantly in excess of the moths ๐
In essence, that the moth lives at my whim, and not the other way around, demonstrates my worth.
Enjoy ๐