The Forge with Harrison Pitt | Ep. 7: The Weaponisation of Rights | Nigel Biggar

In this episode, Harrison sits down with the distinguished theologian Nigel Biggar for a sceptical discussion of a much-cherished concept: rights. So often taken for granted in the post-war era, the modern world's obsession with rights in fact gives rise to serious problems. What is the proper relationship of these alleged rights to other important concerns, from duties and virtues to democratic politics and national traditions? Do natural and/or human rights exist at all? And even if they do, how did rights-talk come to be so effectively weaponised by utopian activists? Produced by The European Conservative, The Forge is a monthly programme which aims to revive the art of Socratic dialogue and intellectual combat at a time when, across the legacy institutions of the Western world, vulgar sophistry and intolerant conformism appear to reign supreme. Presented by Harrison Pitt, a senior editor at The European Conservative, The Forge will be a place for thoroughgoing discussion and fearless debate with the world's finest thinkers on a range of subjects, from philosophy and current affairs to history and culture. As the name suggests, it should also enable us to build up our armoury and sharpen our weapons as we engage in a war for our civilisation. 0:00 - Intro 0:15 - Monologue 01:10 - The Distinction Between 'Natural Right' and 'Natural Rights' 12:00 - Abstract Rights Give License to Reckless Destruction and Revolutionary Violence 14:05 - The Thoughtless Post-War Expansion of Positive Rights 16:22 - Are 'Positive Rights' and 'Negative Rights' Really So Different? 23:43 - Do Individual Rights Encourage Selfishness and Corrode the Common Good? 32:47 - The Conflict Between Human Rights and Democracy 39:40 - Human Rights: A Trojan Horse for Unpopular Left-Wing Politics? 45:14 - The Rule of Judges and the Denial of Tragedy 50:04 - How Human Rights Radicals Enable Illegal Immigration 53:24 - Why Are Godless Societies So Religious About Rights? 🌐 FIND The EuroCon website: https://europeanconservative.com/ 👍 LIKE The EuroCon on Facebook: / theeurocon ✅ FOLLOW The EuroCon on Twitter: / euroconofficial 👉 FOLLOW The EuroCon on GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/eurocon