Are There Any Absolute Rights？.pdfVIP

Scots Philosophical Association University of St. Andrews Oxford University Press Are There Any Absolute Rights? Author(s): Alan Gewirth Source: The Philosophical Quarterly (1950-), Vol. 31, No. 122 (Jan., 1981), pp. 1-16 Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Association and the University of St. Andrews Stable URL: /stable/2218674 Accessed: 19-10-2015 08:21 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at /page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@. Scots Philosophical Association, University of St. Andrews and Oxford University Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Philosophical Quarterly (1950-). This content downloaded from 76 on Mon, 19 Oct 2015 08:21:00 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY VOL.31 No. 122 JANUARY 1981 ARE THERE ANY ABSOLUTE RIGHTS? BY ALANGEWIRTH It is a widely held opinion that there are no absolute rights. Consider what would be generallyregarded as the most plausible candidate: the right to life. This right entails at least the negative duty to refrainfromkilling any human being. But it is contended that this duty may be overridden, that a person may be justifiably killed if this is the only way to prevent him fromkilling some other,innocent person, or if he is engaged in combat in the army of an unjust aggressor nation with which ones own countryis at war. It is also maintained that even an innocent person may justifiably be killed iffailureto do so will lead to the deaths of othersuch persons. Thus an innocent persons right to life is held to be o