Negative right
From Freepedia
| Rights |
|---|
| Civil rights |
| Collective rights |
| Human rights |
| Inalienable rights |
| Individual rights |
| Natural rights |
| Negative rights |
| Positive rights |
| Social rights |
A negative right is a right, either moral or decreed by law, to not be subject to an action of another human being (usually abuse or coercion). Negative rights are sometimes contrasted with positive rights, which are rights to be provided with something by the positive action of another. The former proscribe action, while the latter prescribe action.
One example of a negative right is the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which makes it unlawful for the government to restrict a person's speech. A law requiring another person to provide him with a microphone would codify a positive right.
Socialists and leftists argue that there should be no distinction between negative and positive rights, while classical liberals and libertarians believe that positive rights by their nature contravene negative rights and are therefore unacceptable.
