Government Class Questions

Even though this is a Government course I will be posting it on the History section.

      How does Murray Rothbard defend the idea of self ownership?  Rothbard defends the idea of self ownership by explaining how there are several different types of self ownership and the only type that makes sense is to have one hundred percent self ownership.  For instance it would be absurd for everyone to own a little bit of everyone else because this would mean that one would have to gain permission from every single person in the world before he could eat.

      How does the Age of Discovery provide an opportunity for Spanish thinkers to reflect on the idea rights?  Spanish thinkers were provided an opportunity to reflect on the idea of rights when they saw their Government harming the Natives.  This caused some Spanish thinkers’ conscience to tell them that what they were doing was wrong thus giving them the idea that everyone has rights.  Juan de Zumarraga was one of the first people to believe that the Natives were rational people whose souls could be saved.  Francisco de Victoria also said that the Natives were rational beings so they deserved to be treated like people.

       To conclude, Spanish thinkers such as Juan de Zumarraga and Francisco de Victoria questioned what their Government was doing to the Natives, leading them to believe that everyone has rights which paved the way for people like Murray Rothbard who elaborated on the idea even more.