link to original reddit post by /u/Funksloyd
I can't point to a natural right. I can't measure them. I can't imagine a physical or biological mechanism which would lead to their existence. I can't for the life of me reason them into existence.
The best I can do is reason that they're a "useful fiction". Like what faith in God is for some people - they make the world a little bit less scary, and maybe mean that we're a little bit nicer to each other. Paraphrasing Voltaire, "If natural rights didn't exist, then it would be necessary to create them".
Yet this is wholly unconvincing! I can accept that believing in God has some utility, yet I would never say that proves God's existence! Well, same goes for natural rights.
Is there some reasoning that I'm missing here?