Re: Chomsky on reason

["Ricardo Duchesne" <RDUCHESN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

*Chomsky Reader*p48 [an excellent interview.]

"What is interesting, in the present connection, is the path Rousseau
follows to reach these conclusions "by the light of reason alone,"
beginning with his ideas of human nature. He wants to see man "as nature
formed him" It is from human nature that the principles of natural right
and the foundations of social existence must be DEDUCED."
Ibid 142

This passage  reveals well the fundamental problem with  the whole
classical liberal tradition on 'natural rights':  if our rights
are given to us naturally, how can they be derived by
"the light of reason alone". Saying that they are "deduced" by reason
acknowledges the role of reason but only in the passive sense of
discovering something already given to us.  Nature has not
given us any rights; rights social constructs. It is only at a
certain point in our history that we came to think of ourselves
as 'rights-bearers'.