Social rights

As far as non-family social rights are concerned that is as far as rights within society at large outside the circle of the family are concerned an individual acquires both equal and identical rights. In other words fundamental natural rights are equal and identical to each other. Every member of society has an equal right to benefit from his innate talents; everyone has the right to work; everyone has the right to take part in the race of life; every individual has the right to offer himself for any post or position in society and try to get it in a lawful manner; everyone has the right to demonstrate his personal academic achievements and practical worth.

Of course the same equality in basic natural rights gradually places people in an unequal position as far as acquired rights are concerned; that is to say everyone has an equal right to work and to take part in the competition of life but when the question of the result of the competition the standard of work and the level of adequacy is considered not every one come’s up to the required standard. Some prove themselves more talented and some are found to be less talented. Some are more efficient and some less efficient some are more capable and some are less capable. Some are found to be more learned more proficient more skilful more useful and more efficient than others in the task and so naturally their acquired rights assume an unequal patterning. If we resolved that people’s acquired rights should also be equal like their basic natural rights our decision could be called nothing but cruel and unjust.

Now why should all individuals be considered equal in their natural fundamental social rights? The reason is that observation of human beings demonstrates that amongst human individuals no-one is born the ruler or the ruled. No-one has come into this world as a worker or a craftsman or a professor or a teacher or an officer or a soldier or a minister. These are the merits and peculiarities which are a part of acquired rights. It means that individuals by their competence potential work and activity must take them from society and that society by positive law give them to its individuals.

This is a very important difference between the social life of mankind and the collective life of gregarious animals like the bee. The institutions in the life of these animals are totally natural. Their duties and functions are all assigned by nature and not by their own choice. Some are born rulers and some are born to be ruled. Some are laborers and some engineers while others are born executives. Evidently the life of man is not like this and that is why some thinkers have totally refused to accept the old philosophical idea that man is by nature gregarious and have considered human society to be based completely on arbitrary convention.