What do you think are the most important Human rights?

[Numbr2intheWorld]

I got this idea because of a paper i'm doing, but i think it's an interesting question. There are a lot of human rights that are in place everywhere. For example, in America we have freedom of speech, right to a fair trial, etc. In amsterdam and other places you have the right to smoke marijuana. You have the right to gamble in many places.

My question is, which do you think are the most important human rights? Is having freedom of religion more important than having freedom a speech... would you rather have the freedom to gamble your money but be forced to be Muslim, or the other way around?

Discuss...

Personally, i feel that freedom of religion is very important. When it gets to the point where you have to believe something or else you'll get killed, which has happened many times in history, everything goes to hell. Freedom of work is pretty important too, the idea of being forced to do a certain job or being forced to work seems very bad to me.

[givememyleg]

Human rights or civil rights?

I think the right to live is pretty high on my list.

[boost]

machines are pickin our cotton... human rights suck if you ask me..

[IowaSkinsFan]

It seems like you have a pretty good grasp on the subject.
If you post the constitution that would help.

[Silly String]

The right to do anything you want so long as it does not adversely effect another person. Screw the rest of the rules.

[Reidak]

Right to anal with consent

[IowaSkinsFan]

This thread proves its almost impossible to have a serious discussion on a forum.

[Phantaroth]

All freedoms are equally important. I have a hard time determining which kind of suffering at the hand of the state would be worse - I'm sure it differs from person to person, depending on what is important to each person. Banning gambling can be just as harmful as banning religion would, depending on the social structure or individual structure...

PS - I agree with what Silly String said...

[Galapogos]

This thread proves its almost impossible to have a serious discussion on this forum.

[boost]

machines are pickin our cotton... human rights suck if you ask me..

qft

[NWNewell]

"...life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."

Does that count as one right?

Otherwise, "liberty" gets my vote.

[Warpe]

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

[mrhappy333]

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

wow, Warpe. I was just reading threw all of these and thinking , The US Government has broken just about everyone of these= Iraq, Afganistan, and especially Guantonimo Bay.

as for me, I think Freedom is the most important. It sickens me to think our Goverment(I'm in the US) can be holding people in Gitmo forever, and not even giving them their day in court.
Terrorist or no Terrorist, charge them with something and send them to court to get a hearing.

[Miffed22001]

the least important one (in the constitution anyways i think)

'the right to bear arms'

[Isop]

the least important one (in the constitution anyways i think)

'the right to bear arms'

Can't say I fully agree with this - I should say that I am Canadian, so this doesn't really apply to me.

I believe this applies to the right to defend what is yours. I don't agree with anyone owning a handgun or assault rifle, but I cannot suggest to anyone that they not have a hunting rifle or shotgun to protect what is theirs. I do not want to imply that weapon violence is in any way a good thing, but I do agree that the individual should be able to arm themselves against possibly a tyrannical government. The entire reason it is in the constitution is because the British Government (still) does not allow it's people to bear arms.

I wouldn't consider it one of the more important rights, but it's by no means the least important in my books.

Isop

[andy-akb]

Givememyleg pointed it out, but those really arent "human" rights in the true sense of the word.

Human rights are similar to natural rights or law except that they dont have the same metaphysical or metaethical considerations. However, it also doesnt rule those considerations out just as it doesnt rule out the moral realists that believe the moral status of all humans simply rests on the fact that we have a determination to provide human beings with such a status.

"All and only human persons have human rights and the special moral status associated therewith. The expression also suggests that human beings are equal in this regard. This view can be analyzed into two components. First, all human beings have exactly the same human rights. Second, the moral significance of human rights and human-rights violations does not vary with whose human rights are at stake; as far as human rights are concerned, all human beings matter equally."
-World Poverty and Human Rights

Also, I, as a private individual, could not violate your human rights, only "official" violations [however, not only the gov't] can do that. Going further, it isnt limited only to violations but even a disrespect of those rights is protected against.

Check these out for examples of what human rights are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UDHR
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

So while a lot of the things that have been said in this thread could be examples of human rights, their justification as being in the constitution, etc. wouldnt make them human rights in the true sense of the word.

Yea, this is incredibly semantical, but if you are writing a paper on the subject, I think this matters.

To address your question, I would say that the most important human right is that of rational revisibility, or more simply, that of general "liberty." Sort of a cop out as its so broad, but its the easiest answer, especially for an essay.