This is a kind of spin-off thread from my "Why limit ourselves" thread, except dealing with the broader issue of rights. Rights. Human rights, civil rights, etc We grant ourselves rights because it is an important part of establishing and maintaining civility. However, that's just it....we grant ourselves rights. Rights are what we determine they are. Nobody has an "inherent right", an objective right, to anything. Nobody has the right to life...and yet everyone does, from a certain viewpoint. My point is, rights are what we make them. They are not objective aspects of the universe, they are subjective aspects of human society. Just saying someone has a "right to life" doesn't stop someone from killing them. That is because that right isn't objective, it isn't anything of actual substance. It's a mere perspective. And this is simply the reality of things. It's rough, yes, and we can all wish it were different, but let's face reality here. We don't live in a land of candy and kisses. What does "might makes right" actually mean? It simply means that actual influence, actual strength, is what determines right. Because there is no alternative. That's reality.