The majority of ethical discourse that goes on in today’s academic institutions is right based. Thinkers, philosophers in particular, are primarily concerned with two things. The first is to determine what rights we as human beings have and the second is to determine how best to structure our social institutions so that those rights are best respected.
Rights-based discourse in fact forms the bedrock upon which our popular understanding of what is good & bad, right & wrong is constructed. One can understand the rationale behind rights-based ethical discourse. The rationale is that each human being is of intrinsic worth and we have a responsibility to recognize and respect this worth. Rights-based ethical discourse then attempts to recognize this by stipulating the rights each individual has. This is indeed a noble motive.
There is however a significant and detrimental consequence of rights-based ethical discourse which impedes its capacity to realize its noble motive. The problem is that rights-based ethical discourse, when adopted at the level of popular culture, has the tendency to produce victims.
Rights focus is a focus on the needs and expectations of the individual. When popular society adopts this focus individuals within society will turn their gaze toward what it is that they deserve as individuals and expect that society and fellow citizens provide it.
This focus inevitably results in the mentality of a victim. Victims have a firm understanding of what it is that they should be getting, accompanied by a resentment that they are not getting it. Victim-hood is a great social ill. Victims cannot pick themselves up to do good by others because they are too mired in resentment of what has not been done for themselves. Victim-hood produces citizens that are unable to concern themselves about the well being of their fellow citizens. Without this concern they are unable to respect and look after the rights of others. We see then that right-based discourse seems to contradict itself in application.
What we require is a discourse which respects the value of each human being but does so in a way that does not result in victim-hood. I think there is such an approach and it is virtue-based ethical discourse. How virtue-based ethical discourse differs from rights-based ethical discourse is that it is concerned with the responsibilities we have with regards to the development of our character. Where rights-based discourse is concerned with what is owed to each individual, virtue-based ethical discourse is concerned with what responsibilities each individual has with regards to being an excellent human being.
Virtue-based ethical discourse does fully appreciate the value of humanity. Our Humanity is seen as something of immense value and must be developed to its fullest capacity. What that development involves is a complex issue but will undoubtedly include the development of virtues such as honesty, courage, justice, etc. as well as the capacity to love unconditionally.
When individuals within society apply virtue-based discourse to their lives they do not become victims. They become free human beings concerned with their duties to themselves and those around them. They become fundamentally productive and concern themselves with looking after their fellow citizens.
It seems then that we require a shift from rights-based ethical discourse to virtue-based ethical discourse. This shift will be accompanied by a conversion from slavery and victim-hood to freedom and benevolence.