Ronald Dworkin: Taking Rights Seriously
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What I expect to learn:
In this chapter, I expect to learn why we need to take rights seriously and to know the views and perspective of Ronald Dworkin.
Quote:
“They should begin with a sense that whatever they decide might be wrong.”
Review:
In this chapter, Dworkin talks about why we people need to take our rights seriously and focus more about government. Ronald stated that “if people have a right to do something, then it is wrong to interfere them.” The government has the big role in protecting our rights but sometimes they also became a hindrance to exercise our rights and that is wrong. Yes, we all have rights so if we have given the right to speak, we must speak and take the privileged to have that right. Dworking also discussed the difference between legal and moral rights. Legal rights are rights that are imposed by law and moral rights are rights that are imposed by the society. These two became the basis of people to know which act is moral and which is not. But sometimes there are legal rights that are not moral rights and there are moral rights that are not legal rights. In this situation the government may interfere to exercise one’s right. Also Ronald discussed the two important ideas that are behind the institution of rights are the vague but powerful idea of human dignity and the political equality. With the first one, the idea is that there are ways of treating a man that are inconsistent with recognizing him as a full member of the human community, and holds that such treatment profoundly unjust. The second idea is that the weaker members of a political community are entitled to the same concern and respect of their government as the more powerful members have secured for themselves.
What I have learned:
In this chapter, I learned that a person has the right to break the law as long as he could justify his actions and he is ready for its consequences but of course we people should think that whatever we decide might be wrong.
Integrative questions:
- Whay do we need to take rights seriously?
- What is a legal right?
- What is a moral right?
