How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps

by Ben Shapiro

So far, so good. But there are also actions we want others to perform to which we do not have a right—actions that, in our fuzzy thinking, we often suggest we have a “right” to demand. These “rights” have been termed “positive rights.” Positive rights are not rights at all. They are demands that violate someone’s negative rights. So, for example, if I demand that you serve me on my terms, I am not acting on my rights. I may be morally correct that you should serve me on my particular terms. But I do not have a right to your services. That would violate your right to control your own labor—a right you do have against the world. I cannot demand that you say what I want you to say. That would violate your right to speak freely—a right you do have against everyone else.