What About the Founders?

Brad Littlejohn at The American Conservative has an enthusiastic review of Nigel Biggar’s recent book, What’s Wrong with Rights? According to Littlejohn, American conservatives are badly confused about rights, but fortunately Biggar is the guide “conservatives stand in urgent need of.”

But Biggar’s guidance leads to an astonishing conclusion. Littlejohn tells us that “Biggar spends no less than five chapters investigating the question, ‘Are there natural rights?’”—only to conclude the answer is “no.”

How would American conservatives adopting Biggar’s conclusion clear up confusion about rights? After all, adopting it would put American conservatives in direct conflict with the American founders.

Read Full Article »