Right (Catholic Encyclopedia article)
Victor Cathrein · 1913
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Description
Right, in this philosophical entry's sense, means a moral or lawful power over a thing: to hold it, claim it, and use it as one's own. When a person says he has a right to something, he claims a dominion over it that others must respect. Right is thus distinct from obligation: under an obligation we should act, while under a right we may act or refrain. It also differs from mere physical power: a thief may hold a stolen object without any right to it.
Every right answers to an obligation in others. If one person may demand a hundred dollars, another is bound to pay it, or the right would be empty. A thing here means not only material objects but anything useful to man, including actions and omissions. What counts as one's own is fixed by facts, from bodily faculties at birth to goods acquired later.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Victor Cathrein |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 1913 |
| COLLECTION | REFERENCE |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 12 KB |
| LICENSE | PUBLIC_DOMAIN |
| RIGHTS | PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| SOURCE | New Advent — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) |