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    Carmelics

    A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Home/Original/inverse
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    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Respect for rights is good because people actually have rights, not because respecting rights produces good outcomes.

    ?Set your confidence on the premises below to see your aggregate.

    Reasons For

    2 perspectives
    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.The existence of rights is itself justified by their role in securing human welfare, autonomy, or social cooperation—making them instrumentally grounded.
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      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.If rights derived no good consequences whatsoever, we would have no principled reason to posit their existence in the first place.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Mill's argument in Utilitarianism ch.5 shows rights-talk is reducible to claims about the highest-utility protections of vital interests.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reason for 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Rawls's constructivism demonstrates that rights are outputs of rational agreement procedures, not pre-existing metaphysical facts we discover.
      ?

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    • 2.If rights are constructed rather than found, their justification must appeal to the outcomes of the constructive procedure, not to bare ontological status.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.People actually have rights — rights are not merely instrumental constructs.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.We think respect for rights is a good thing precisely because people have them.
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    • 3.We do not ascribe rights to people merely because it would be good if rights were respected.
      ?

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    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.