Misplaced Pages

A prima facie right is a right that can be outweighed by other considerations. It stands in contrast with absolute rights, which cannot be outweighed by anything. Some authors consider an absolute right as a prima facie right, but one that cannot be outweighed in any possible situation. It is also maintained that all men always have a prima facie rights to liberty, security, and life but they do not constitute actual rights if there are stronger prima facie rights or moral considerations that supervene. An act may also be viewed as prima facie right but viewed in others as prima facie wrong.

See also

• Natural and legal rights
• Political ethics
• Prima facie
• Proportionalism
• Situational ethics

References

1. Rainbolt, George (2006). The Concept of Rights. Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 161. ISBN 140203976X.
2. Nielsen, Kai (1991). God and the Grounding of Morality. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press. p. 101. ISBN 0776603280.
3. Fumerton, Richard; Jeske, Diane (2010). Introducing Philosophy Through Film: Key Texts, Discussion, and Film Selections. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell. p. 293. ISBN 9781405171021.

• http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405106795_chunk_g978140510679519_ss1-125 Retrieved 25 May 2009
• http://www.onlineethics.org/cms/13822.aspx] Ethics Online Retrieved 25 May 2009

This philosophy-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Philosophy stubs
• Rights