B7432_M4_A1_Corporate_Social_Responsibility
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Running head: RIGHTS VS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
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M4 A1: Rights vs. Social Responsibility
Argosy University
Corporate Social Responsibility / B7432
December 20, 2023
Instructor: Robert Gulbro
RIGHTS VS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
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Rights vs. Social Responsibility
Individual rights and social responsibility need not be mutually exclusive. Our society in the United States was built on a premise of individual rights. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are usually referred to as the “Bill of Rights”. These amendments were instituted to assure an individual’s rights within the larger context of society and the government.
These rights are ingrained in our collective psyche. Some of the most commonly cited are: freedom of religion, speech and press; the right to keep and bear arms; the prohibition of unreasonable search and seizure; and rights to a speedy trial, trial by jury and due process. (National Archives, n.d.)
There is also the philosophy of communitarianism that puts more focus on communal responsibilities than on individual rights – it “
emphasizes the responsibility of the individual to the community and the social importance of the family unit” (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.) From the communitarian perspective, the needs of the community overwhelm the needs of the individual. As with most divisive issues, it is easy to lean wholly to one side or the other – particularly if you have been personally affected. For instance, it is common for someone who has lost a loved one to violence to lobby for gun control. The most difficult aspect of individual rights is defending those rights when someone else has an opposing view. But if we don’t stand up for individual rights, they will soon be subsumed by the needs of society in general because lobbying for social responsibility is much easier than standing up for the individual.
RIGHTS VS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
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References
Amicus Curiae. (September 28, 2005). Individual rights vs. social responsibility. [Blog Post] Retrieved from: http://ucnortheast.blogspot.com/2005/09/individual-rights-vs-social.html
Etzioni, A. (1999). Communitarian elements in select works of Martin Buber.
Journal of Value Inquiry, 33
(2), 151-169. National Archives. (n.d.) The Charters of Freedom. Retrieved from: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Communitarianism. Retrieved from: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/communitarianism
Wilkinson, J.H. III. (April 1, 2010). The dual lives of rights: The rhetoric and practice of rights in America. California Law Review, 98
(2), 277-326.
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