APQ - APPON PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY

The problem of human nature brings to light the notion of human rights. The principle of human rights presupposes the principle of politics based on the objectivity of law. The objective of this paper is to ascertain why the discourse on man's rights is so complex and controversial among peoples in their democratic interaction; to understand why rights are so important to man in the democratic setting. This paper is aimed at establishing the philosophical importance of human rights in understanding the nature and concept of man; and to expose the subjectivity and relativity of rights in Ayn Rand's philosophy of rights. This paper adopts the analytical framework in dissecting Ayn Rand's philosophy of rights and its moral lessons for Nigeria. She argues that corruption and inflation as it currently affecting contemporary Nigerian society reflects on flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of Nigerians. For instance, the Buhari's administration has brought a lot of economic hardship to Nigerians. This paper, therefore, concludes that rights can only be consistently defined if we as humans adhere strictly to a definition that embraces all its necessary and sufficient criteria. The notion of rights originates from God Himself as the source of natural or private rights and it also originates from the Declaration of Universal Human Rights of 1948. The right of man is interwoven with the rights and duties of the state and the state is empowered by some form or element of force in order to guarantee social orderliness and social balance (stability). The notion of human rights and duties are enshrined by robust democratic values.

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