I want to live in a world where I, my family or someone I can identify with would have less of a chance of being treated unfairly and made to suffer needlessly. Pretending that people have “unalienable rights” goes a long way toward that goal, so I want to believe it and I want everyone else to believe it, too.
That sounds like rule utilitarianism, or a rule utilitarianism-like consequentialism, not like a deontological justification for human rights.
I suppose you are right. However, if you skip the introspection part, “people have rights” makes sense in most cases without having to worry about utilities. It’s the edge cases, like the trolley problem, which require deeper analysis.
That sounds like rule utilitarianism, or a rule utilitarianism-like consequentialism, not like a deontological justification for human rights.
I suppose you are right. However, if you skip the introspection part, “people have rights” makes sense in most cases without having to worry about utilities. It’s the edge cases, like the trolley problem, which require deeper analysis.