Are Economic Rights Moral Wrongs?
Most search queries for “human rights” on the internet point to a concept of entitlement established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, stipulating “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” It thoroughly listed civil liberties and protections not unfamiliar (especially to Western ears), but it introduced a newer, different kind of guarantee: the economic right. Article 3, for example, states “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person,” a very recognizable and broadly accepted statement of civil right. On the other hand, Article 23 proclaims “(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.” Furthermore, Article 24 declares “everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.” This relatively new formulatio
