He reasons that “there is very little that is empirically universal about human communities and almost nothing that is truly logically necessary for their existence” (20). Donnelly puts forth a bold statement which is easily contestable. While the first thing to question would be the right to food and water to ensure human survival, Jack Donnelly seems to pursue this argument in regard to the question of subjectivity. In arguing that human rights are selected by a certain community, their set of human rights is subjective. For example, a child from a first world country views education as a normality, whereas a child from a developing country views it as a privilege. For both, education is perceived as a right in different ways. Donnelly points out “[r]ights are actually put to use, […] only when they are at issue, when their enjoyment is questioned, threatened, or denied” (9). Hence the child from a developing country will consider education as a human right, although the other will not perceive it as so, believing it as not necessary to their
He reasons that “there is very little that is empirically universal about human communities and almost nothing that is truly logically necessary for their existence” (20). Donnelly puts forth a bold statement which is easily contestable. While the first thing to question would be the right to food and water to ensure human survival, Jack Donnelly seems to pursue this argument in regard to the question of subjectivity. In arguing that human rights are selected by a certain community, their set of human rights is subjective. For example, a child from a first world country views education as a normality, whereas a child from a developing country views it as a privilege. For both, education is perceived as a right in different ways. Donnelly points out “[r]ights are actually put to use, […] only when they are at issue, when their enjoyment is questioned, threatened, or denied” (9). Hence the child from a developing country will consider education as a human right, although the other will not perceive it as so, believing it as not necessary to their