[permaculture-oceania] the 'rights-based' approach'
David Arnold
davidarnold at iinet.net.au
Tue Aug 8 23:33:23 EST 2006
Generally I find talk of "rights" a bit self-righteous.
I think we all are going to need to be more and more flexible and accommodating of
each other, less individualistic, and think in terms of trying to meet people's basic
needs, rather than rights.
And I agree that clean water, air, uncontaminated soils etc. [access] to non
> genetically modified food are basic needs.
Regards,
David Arnold
To: promoting permaculture and sustainable living in the oceania region
<permaculture-oceania at lists.cat.org.au>
From: steve_burns at wvi.org
Date sent: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 11:08:40 +0300
Subject: [permaculture-oceania] the 'rights-based' approach'
Send reply to: promoting permaculture and sustainable living in the oceania region
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> Dear Rowe and others,
>
> Can I invite responses on the general issue of whether humans have
> 'rights' at all?
>
> Within the Humanitarian industry, the 'rights-based approach' is now
> very popular - it takes as its basis the concept that all humans, just
> by being born, have endowed on them certain rights (such as to space,
> water, calorific intake, etc)... Seems fair enough - especially as it
> arose out of a desire to give dignity to people suffering 'natural'
> disasters or who had been born into desperate situations in developing
> countries... moving them from a disempowered role as 'beneficiaries'
> of the generousity of the wealthy to a position where they have a
> 'right' to those things they are currently missing. The rights-based
> approach seems to assume that there is an unlimited pool of resources
> to supply that which is the 'right' of all.
>
> In what sense can humans have rights if the energy/resources/etc
> required to deliver those rights exceeds the capacity of the planet to
> deliver them? (I completely concede that most resources are terribly
> inequitably distributed, but even allowing for that, might not the
> limits to growth impact on the limits to rights?
>
> Also, if humans have rights, do other species have rights? The
> rights-based approach seems inherently specist - no one in the
> humanitarian industry seems interested in discussions about whether
> whales, caribou or date palms have rights... they are too busy saving
> humans. Fair enough - that's their job... but if they are going to
> get philosophical, shouldn't their basic premise be well
> thought-through? Anyone who can send this question to Peter Singer is
> welcome to do so!
>
> warm regards,
>
> Steve
> (currently working for a large humanitarian NGO)
>
>
>
> Rosemary Morrow
> <rowe at lisp.com.au >
> To Sent by:
> promoting permaculture and permaculture-ocea
> sustainable living in the oceania
> nia-bounces at lists region
> .cat.org.au
> <permaculture-oceania at lists.cat.org
> .au>
> cc
> 08/05/2006 01:07
> PM Subject
> Re: [permaculture-oceania] Re: Care
> of spirit - a question of ethics
>
> Please respond to (jedd)
>
> promoting
> permaculture and
> sustainable
> living in the
> oceania region
> <permaculture-oce
> ania at lists.cat.or
> g.au>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I remember having a discussion about ethics in a PDC group once, and I
> was a bit perplexed. Later I was talking to Bill Mollison and asked
> what he thought about this, and I appreciated his response because of
> its clarity:
>
> "Permaculture is about tangibles"
>
> I think this is a useful guide to not adding new items. Also almost
> everything people want to add is subsumed under the ethics. Although
> I was just thinking that we have principles, strategies and techniques
> for Care for the Earth, and distribute surplus, and reduce
> consumption, we really dont have very many for Care for People. I
> have added a chapter on Permaculture at Work, with help from Margot
> Turner, and it adds such things as
>
> Value people for their differences,
>
> and then uses many of the principles at work such as co-operate don't
> compete.
>
> I have also been thinking that the design of permaculture for water or
> soils, actually enables some extra human rights which will be required
> this century such as the:
>
> Right to clean water, air, uncontaminated soils etc. Right to non
> genetically modified food
>
> I could see these being included in any Bill or Charter of Human
> Rights which aims to meet the needs of the future.
>
> I guess you will take some of these ideas further.
>
> Warmly,
>
> Rowe Morrow
>
>
>
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>
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David Arnold davidarnold at iinet.net.au
4446 Murchison Rd, Violet Town VIC 3669
03 5798 1679 0428 981 679
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