Discourse on Animal Rights - Part I Natural Rights

One of the basic ideas of the modern world is that humans are endowed with certain "inalienable" rights, part of a natural law. The natural law argument was written extensively by the philosopher John Locke and was one of the influences of the American Declaration of Independence which is evident in the second paragraph of the Declaration:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to give reasons why it was just and right for revolutionaries to separate from England to form an independent government. However, the document has natural rights overtones, declaring that humans have the right to change their government, especially if their government is tyrannical, they have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The pursuit of happiness clause is very broad, it could mean the pursuit of every whim and desire - but the authors had something specific in mind which is outlined in their list of grievances to the King. Most of the list refers to the Crown interfering in the colonies pursuit of self determination through heavy taxes and levies without political representation, abolishing local charters and laws, and interfering with commerce and trade. Their action of declaring independence was a movement to protect their natural right to self determination, to preserve what it is to be human.

In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. This document was largely a reaction to the second World War and the gross violations of human rights in Nazi Germany. This Universal Declaration  echoes some of the sentiments present in the Declaration of Independence but is more precise on the universal rights of humans:

Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The Declaration goes on to describe other rights such as due process, trial rights, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly and government participation. All of these rights are expressions of self determination, actualization of humanness - what it means to be human because we "are endowed with reason and conscience."

We use our talents, grow and strive to reach our potential. Ensuring certain natural rights are inalienable, help each individual to attain their goal and actualize their latent potential. "Rights" are a human concept, designed to minimize suffering and bring human society into a more balanced egalitarian existence. A more balanced, stable society promotes prosperity and growth not only for the individual but also for the city, state and country. In this way, we all evolve as a species.