The Source and Origin of Human Right

Epistemologically, the notion of "right" seems self-evident, and means the permissibility of "having a character" or "doing/leaving an action." Ontologically, however, the concept of "right" is a philosophical—and neither logical nor essential—concept. When used in the case of the human being, it is extracted from his comparison with the real human perfection, a perfection that can be attained by doing or leaving and action or possessing a character. The same concept can be extracted by comparing the Necessary Existent with His goal, because He is a free agent too. The author in this article argues that "right" can be divided into two categories, taking the agent's goal into account: a) the essential and original right, and b) the incidental right. Since God's goal in creating the world are attained by His ontological and legislative will, each of these two types of will is the source of one type of original right: ontological and legislative. Rights ascribed to the human being are divided into ethical and legal rights. While the source of all legal rights is God's legislative will, some ethical rights are derived from God's legislative will, and the others from His ontological will.