Title of the Book:

Contemporary Moral Problems seventh edition by James E. White

Book Review Chapter:

Ronald Dworkin: Taking Rights seriously

Quote:
“People have a right to do something, then it is wrong to interfere with them” PAGE 72.

What I expect to learn:

• What are my rights?
• What are the different kinds of rights?
• Does It classify according to status?

Review:
In this Book Ronald Dworkin views that, if people have a right to do something, then it is
wrong to interfere with them. PAGE 72. Ronald Dworkin believes that the Kantian idea
of treating people with dignity as members of the moral community and also on the idea
of political equality. Ronald Dworkin also discusses the language of rights, the rights and
the rights to break the law, the controversial rights, and lastly why take it seriously? In
the rights to break the laws Ronald Dworkin discusses that it is not right to arrest a man if
he break the law because if he is arrested he can no longer now practices his or her rights.
For me if a man breaks the law he or she must be arrested because he already violates the
other person’s rights.

What I learned:
I’ve learned that we have our own rights to defend ourselves but for me if we violate the
law that controls our rights, we must be arrested and take responsibility for that broken
right of other people.

Integrative Questions:
• What are the arguments discussed in the book?
• What is the theory that’s been used?
• What are the rights of each people?

Review Questions:
1. What does Dworkin mean by rights in the strong sense? What rights in this sense are
protected by the USA Constitution?
• Ronald Dworkin says that “if people have the rights to do something. It
Then it is wrong to interfere with them”.
• This only means that if we are doing something, we must not violate the
law or the rules of the state.
 2. Distinguish between legal and moral rights. Give some examples of legal rights that are
not moral rights, and moral rights that are not legal rights.
• The legal rights are the rights or the citizen that is protected by the constitution.
• The moral rights are the rights of a person, of his morality or conscience.

3. What are the two models of how a government might define the rights of its citizens?
Which does Dworkin find more attractive?
• The first model says according to Ronald Dworkin is that striking balance between
the rights of each individuals and the demand of the society.
• The second model says according to Ronald Dworkin is that the government inflate a
right.
• What more attractive to Ronald Dworkin is the second model.

4. According to Dworkin, what two important ideas are behind the institution of rights?
• The two important ideas behind the institution of rights is the act of faith by the
majorities and the minorities.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does a person have the right to break the law? Why or why not?
• No, because the law keeps the balance to protect other people’s rights.

2. Are rights in the strong sense compatible with Mill’s utilitarianism?

• Yes.

3. Do you think that Kant would accept rights in the strong sense or not?

• No.