Christopher F. Rufo  ⚔️

The reference to "God" is a reference to the natural order and human nature as it can be understood through reason. The Founders were not saying God as the Christian God, but in reference to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God."

Yeah, I can make a secular interpretation of "God-given" as akin to some innate desire of human nature that should be fostered.

The "laws" of nature are absolutely brutal and are nothing that we should imitate. However, humans have certain desires--autonomy, community, romantic relationships--that we should seek to promote. At least, that's my view. But I am not a fan of the "natural rights" tradition.

Yeah, appeals to nature in this way are a double-edged sword. You can use them to defend, as you mention, desires like autonomy, community, etc., but they can also be used to defend things like greed and tribalism.

And rape, murder, war....et cetera.... I think of rights the way I think of rules in baseball. They are convenient fictions. There is nothing metaphysically real about them. But they can be useful to defend some policy or another that promotes human flourishing.

Not sure I understand your point. You don't believe there is a human nature (or you believe it is malleable depending on historical circumstance and human action)?

Oh no! I believe there is a human nature. I just don't think humans have natural rights. And for most of human history, humans ignored the "rights" that I would now defend with considerable diligence (raping, murdering, and plundering, et cetera).

Sure, but rape, murder, and plunder are *violations* of natural rights! If you believe there is a stable human nature, it's a logical step to think that the state's highest duty is to use reason to create laws in harmony with that nature!