Nonsense Upon Stilts

The title of this post is a derogatory remark made by Bentham about the concept of natural rights. However, I don't think his criticisms is valid since he never actually "got it" in the first place.

There is a great article on natural law and natural rights titled "The Imperative of Natural Rights in Today's World" by Randy E. Barnett that is a must read for those who think natural rights is bunk. Download it from this link.

I believe that these ideas are quite compatible with the naturalistic viewpoint. Some atheists reject natural law because they hold the false belief that it is founded on the existence of a supreme being of some sort. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nor is natural rights properly understood in absolutist terms.