# Outside the Box > Philosophy and Debate >  >  Is anyone entitled to anything apart from basic human rights?

## Coffee

When people say "I am entitled to be loved/to find love" or "I am entitled to this promotion" and so on, is that really true? 

Obviously it would be nice to have love and to be recognised for your work and talent, but I feel like no one is entitled to anything apart from basic human rights such as the right to life, to be free from torture and slavery and so on. 

Is everything after basic human rights a privilege or a bonus?

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## Trendsetter

Yeah. Food, air, and life.

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## Coffee

^ that's why I said apart from basic human rights. Right to food is article 25, part of a basic standard of living. Right to life is article 3.

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## Trendsetter

> ^ that's why I said apart from basic human rights. Right to food is article 25, part of a basic standard of living. Right to life is article 3.



Oh that's right!  :doh: 

I guess, just basic respect?

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## Coffee

> Oh that's right! 
> 
> I guess, just basic respect?



Do you really think so? This is where it gets fuzzy for me. I don't think I'm entitled to respect. I think I have to earn it. Like if you came up to me and slapped me across the face in our first meeting, I wouldn't respect you. But if you were kind and continued to be kind over time, I'd respect you. I don't HAVE to respect you, and neither does anybody else, but I choose to respect you because you deserve it. Do you respect serial rapists? Probably not. I don't. In my opinion, respect is earned, not just given by default.

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## kc1895

Yes, anyone is entitled to more than basic human rights.  The U.S. Declaration of Independence states it accurately:

_We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness_

The pursuit of happiness refers to the right to pursue love or find a job, but it does not entitle you to actually have love or to have a job.  Happiness in that case is also one that creates the greatest happiness to all, without imposing on the rights of others.  Therefore, one should not exploit others to their own benefit, but instead seek goodness to all humanity and that is what they are entitled to.

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## Member11

It depends on what level as well, what we are entitled to out of life or society. Out of life we are not entitled to much of anything, even right to life is not a given for some. Society on the other hand, depending on how you see it, we do have a set of rights or a set of privileges, and even basic human rights has been suspended in the past for the "greater good".

I personally don't like to say I have the right/privilege to do this and that (in the context of this topic), as if you say you have the right to do/say/whatever, then you are saying there must be something that you don't have the right/privilege to do. When you start using terms like rights and privileges, you are implying that there are limits and giving the people making up those limits the authority to place such limits. I think that when everyone starts from a level playing field, things like love, respect, money, property, etc needs to be earned and not given by default.

However, that is not how the world works, a kid born rich and another kid born poor is not on a level playing field, so therefore we need the law, universal health care and education, infrastructure, welfare and taxes, to get to a stage where the two kids are as close as possible to a level playing field. I have no idea where I was going with this, but I can be forgiven as I'm very sick at the moment. *cough* *cough*

BTW, poll added. ::):

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## L

Are basic human right not a privilege? So many people are denied them. After that I guess it's what you earn in life.

I am a human I have the right to be treated like one

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## compulsive

Yes, I think we are entitled to have the promises others made to us, kept. For instance a relationship is an agreement not to cheat or be with someone else unless otherwise stated. A friendship is an agreement to treat this person with respect, and kindness , to not use them or manipulate them, to be good to them. 

I think we are also entitled to physiological safety. I believe we are entitled to be safe from things like bullying. I think that if someone could not tolerate what they themselves do to others ,  then why should they be allowed to do this to someone else?

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## Trendsetter

> Do you really think so? This is where it gets fuzzy for me. I don't think I'm entitled to respect. I think I have to earn it. Like if you came up to me and slapped me across the face in our first meeting, I wouldn't respect you. But if you were kind and continued to be kind over time, I'd respect you. I don't HAVE to respect you, and neither does anybody else, but I choose to respect you because you deserve it.



Everyone in the world deserves respect at a basic human rights level. Because of that, there would be no need to slap you in our first meeting, or do anything else bad.  





> Do you respect serial rapists? Probably not. I don't. In my opinion, respect is earned, not just given by default.



People deserve respect, until a pattern of terrible behavior made them undeserving of it. The honor-bound kind of respect is what has to be earned.

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## Coffee

> People deserve respect, until a pattern of terrible behavior made them undeserving of it. The honor-bound kind of respect is what has to be earned.



THis makes sense. I agree with this.

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## Member11

> Because of that, there would be no need to slap you in our first meeting, or do anything else bad.



I would hope that people (at least some) would not require something to be written down to know not to mistreat others like that.

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## Chantellabella

> Yes, I think we are entitled to have the promises others made to us, kept. For instance a relationship is an agreement not to cheat or be with someone else unless otherwise stated. A friendship is an agreement to treat this person with respect, and kindness , to not use them or manipulate them, to be good to them. 
> 
> I think we are also entitled to physiological safety. I believe we are entitled to be safe from things like bullying. I think that if someone could not tolerate what they themselves do to others ,  then why should they be allowed to do this to someone else?



I like this answer. 

I think if the world were ideal, we would be entitled to things like happiness or courtesy also, but I believe the truth is we get damaged and therefore make a mess out of everything. When that happens, we hurt each other subconsciously, unintentionally, intentionally, and it's those reasons that take out the "doing what is decent" factor. So since we have people who are not acting ideally, some things like respect have to be earned. 

I would love to have an ideal world where people were decent to each other. There wouldn't even be a need for a basic rights statement. We would all just know how to do it and would do it that way. Yes, the world would be dull, but it would sure be a pretty nice place to live.

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## WintersTale

I don't know. 

Are we entitled to be mentally healthy? Because part of Maslow's Pyramid includes love, sex, and relationships at the very bottom, and once you achieve those you achieve self realization. 

It really depends on whether or not you are entitled to be miserable, or to feel like you are something.

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## JaneDoe

Everyone is entitled to much more than basic human rights.

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## Coffee

> I don't know. 
> 
> *Are we entitled to be mentally healthy?* Because part of Maslow's Pyramid includes love, sex, and relationships at the very bottom, and once you achieve those you achieve self realization. 
> 
> It really depends on whether or not you are entitled to be miserable, or to feel like you are something.



No, I don't think so. That's not an entitlement. It might be something you _deserve_ because you work for it, but you aren't entitled to mental health automatically. Who would even give you that? With Maslow's hierarchy of needs - you have to work through those things in each stage. No one just gives them to you because you are entitled to it. You are entitled to medical treatment for mental health, though. And I strongly believe that we aren't 'entitled' to receive love. Deserving is different though. 

I guess I'm alone here in thinking most things after basic rights are privileges and need to be earned haha.

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## WintersTale

Well, a lot of people never feel loved, and commit suicide. If they had been loved, maybe they would have had a chance?

I just feel everyone deserves to feel loved. It's the people that don't, that end up committing crimes and going to jail.

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## Coffee

> Well, a lot of people never feel loved, and commit suicide. If they had been loved, maybe they would have had a chance?
> 
> I just feel everyone deserves to feel loved. It's the people that don't, that end up committing crimes and going to jail.



Deserving is different to being entitled though. Someone might deserve to be loved because they are a good person, but that doesn't mean someone owes them love or they should automatically get it just because. It might be different for children though -they should be entitled to love from their caregivers, but in this case I'm talking about romantic love.

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## WintersTale

This is why I don't believe in romance or that love even exists. 

I've been a hopeless romantic for all of my life, and it has gotten me nowhere. Love is basically a chemical reaction that two people go through, who are attractive. Ugly people don't get love.

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## Member11

> I've been a hopeless romantic for all of my life, and it has gotten me nowhere. Love is basically a chemical reaction that two people go through, who are attractive _attracted to each other_.



Fixed it for you. Attraction is subjective, who you find attractive might not be same for me. This is the same with females, what one girl finds attractive will not be the same for another girl. That is fine, because we are all different. So, hold on to your hopeless romantic side and go find your girl, because I'm willing to bet she is looking for you.

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## Noca

The world doesn't owe you anything, it was here first! =)

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## Chopin12

at the very minimum good beer and a decent internet connection

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## WintersTale

I've changed what I believe.

Anyway, we are all guaranteed to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under the US Constitution. Some people are miserable, but you also have the right to be miserable.

I suppose nobody is entitled to feel loved, but they deserve it. And people certainly deserve to have warm and safe places to sleep and live.

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## Otherside

> The world doesn't owe you anything, it was here first! =)



I have to say, I agree with this. None of us are "entitled" to anything. It sucks but its the truth.

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## Misssy

People should get what they give. Or owe what they take.

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## insigniff

> The world doesn't owe you anything, it was here first! =)







> I have to say, I agree with this. None of us are "entitled" to anything. It sucks but its the truth.



With the same reasoning, one could argue that you don't owe anything to the world. :;): 
After all, you never chose to be born into it.

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## WintersTale

You owe the world to treat people with respect and kindness, and to be a good person.

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## Colt901

The problem with the "level playing field" argument is that the system always penalizes the "rich" person to "help" the poor person. To hold one person back in order to boost another person (which never works) is not fairness no matter how many times the president says it. You are born how you are born that is life...The rest, everyone has an equal shot to reap what they sow in life.

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