Rights, Freedom, and Social Justice

M07 Discussion: Rights, Freedom, and Social Justice

QUESTION: Do you believe that a just society must ensure that its citizens enjoy certain rights and freedoms?  If you were President of an imaginary country, which rights and freedoms would you guarantee your citizens?

ANSWER

In my opinion, a just society should protect basic liberties for all of its members. This is due to the fact that finding one’s own way in the world necessitates a certain amount of autonomy. If some freedoms and protections aren’t guaranteed, then the society is unfair. Many constitutions of contemporary democracies include language emphasizing this point of view. The phrase “all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” from the United States’ Constitution’s preamble stands out as one of the best examples of this type of language. Moreover, the articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peoples serve as a pivot point for the development of basic rights provisions in the constitutions of member states. The Declaration’s preamble notes that “freedom, justice, and peace” rest on “the acknowledgment of the dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of members of the human family.” Therefore, it follows that the recognition of human dignity and equality, among other rights, is crucial for justice.

If I were President, one of my top priorities would be to protect basic liberties for all citizens. The United Nations Declaration on the Human Rights would serve as a guiding document for me as I choose which rights and freedoms to uphold. The guarantees of life, liberty, and equality are rather comprehensive. Cultures vary greatly from one another. Because of this, I shall have in mind the need to modify the regulations to accommodate the distinctive culture and quirks shared by the people in my community. Justice and laws, after all, are for the benefit of the people who live in the society, thus they should not be arbitrarily applied, even in the name of change.

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