Are there such things as inalienable rights?
The phrase is used in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Benjamin Franklin said that any people who are willing to sacrifice a measure of their liberties for security will have neither liberty nor security. Your question goes to the dynamic of power versus force. There is great power in the concept of inalienable rights. These rights, howeve
