Human Rights, Discrimination, the Berlin Wall, and Economics
Rights and Their Types
Rights are the set of rules that may be enforced through coercive power. Objective rights do not allow for coercive action; they are rules that not only prohibit certain actions but also defend our freedoms. These are called individual rights.
There are two types of human rights:
- Positive rights are those promulgated by a state.
- Natural rights or moral rights are those not recognized by laws, such as the rights of Jews in Nazi Germany. They are distinct from positive rights.
What is the UNHCR?
The High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the agency of the United Nations charged with protecting refugees and those displaced by persecution or conflict. It promotes durable solutions to their situation through voluntary resettlement in their country of origin or a host country.
What is Euthanasia?
Euthanasia is any act or omission for which responsibility rests with medical personnel or individuals close to the sick, causing immediate death.
What is Habeas Corpus?
Habeas Corpus is a legal institution that guarantees personal liberty to avoid arbitrary arrests and detentions. It is based on the obligation to present all prisoners before a judge within a short period. The judge may order the immediate release of the arrested if they do not find sufficient reason for the arrest.
Forms of Discrimination
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is the hatred and rejection of foreigners, with events ranging from more or less apparent rejection, scorn, and threats to assaults and murders.
Racism
Racism is a form of discrimination against persons based on race, skin tone, or other physical characteristics, such that some are considered superior to others.
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall, called the “Anti-Fascist Protective Wall” by the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) and sometimes dubbed the “Wall of Shame,” was part of the inter-German border from August 13, 1961, until November 9, 1989. It was one of the best-known symbols of the Cold War. Many people died attempting to overcome the harsh supervision of the GDR border guards on their way to the western sector of Berlin. The Berlin Wall fell on the evening of Thursday, November 9, 1989, to Friday, November 10, 1989, 28 years after its construction. The opening of the wall, known in Germany as die Wende (the change), was a consequence of the demands for freedom of movement in the former GDR and the constant avoidance of capital to the embassies of countries of the Warsaw Pact in Prague and elsewhere.
Economics
Can the Economy Deal with All Goods?
No, because there are scarce goods, such as love and talent, that cannot be bought and sold. People also cannot be bought and sold.
What is the Division of Labor?
The division of labor is the specialization of workers in various tasks, which can produce more efficiently.
What Produces Benefits?
Increased efficiency produces benefits.
Supply and Demand
Supply is the quantity available, and demand is what people need. The higher the demand, the higher the price rises. The more supply there is, the less demand, therefore the lower the price.
Monopoly
According to many, a monopoly is when a single entity controls the supply of a product, often leading to uniform pricing.
Inflation
Inflation is the rise in prices in an economy.
Money
Money is the material with which to buy things. It is a set of accumulated capital resources that expands the opportunities of production for a person, group, or a company.
Capitalism
Capitalism is the economic system based on the dominance of capital as a factor in production.
Bioethics
Bioethics is the branch of ethics dedicated to providing principles for human behavior concerning living beings. It is applied to human and animal life.
Taxes
Indirect taxes are levied on the price of merchandise. For example, when purchasing a gallon of gasoline, 40% of the price may be a tax. Anyone who buys it will pay the same tax.
Direct taxes are levied on the profits that a person or corporation has.