1.3: Individual vs. Collective Rights
The second of the human rights dichotomies is the dichotomy between individual and collective rights, which some refer to as group rights. Many of the rights outlined in the International Bill of Rights are individual rights, but some apply specifically to certain groups, such as indigenous tribes, women, children, or other minorities or marginalized groups. Others refer to the right to belong to a group or association like a political party, or a nationality and citizenship.
Individuals and groups' rights can sometimes conflict, creating tension and raising the question of which should be considered first and foremost. Is it ever justifiable to reduce individual liberty for the common good? Alternatively, how much potential harm to others must be allowed in society to protect individual liberty? Can these tensions be reconciled? What standards should be used to decide which rights to center in different situations?
Can you think of an example of when honoring collective rights might undermine individual rights? What about a situation where collective rights can strengthen individual rights? What groups in society do you think need extra protection, if any? Think also about how this dichotomy relates to the universal versus relative dichotomy discussed above. How are these issues related?
This introduction to collective rights presents the argument that collective rights are about the future. The presenter in the video argues that collective rights are, in large part, about creating the kind of world we want future generations to live in. What implications does that idea have for the law?
Read this article for an introduction to the idea of individual versus group rights. What are the examples provided here? Do you think the group rights identified here do more to strengthen or weaken individual rights? Do you think the rights discussed here are universal or relative?
This short article gives some more examples of group versus individual rights, including some that might be familiar to you based on political debates you have heard or read in the news. What other examples can you think of that fit this dichotomy? How do you think some of the arguments identified here should be resolved?