What is the government's role in balancing the interest of the individual versus the public good?

The question of the role of government versus individual rights is at least as old as the 17th century. The concept of individual rights arose from the view that because reason is the primary characteristic of human beings, all human beings have the right to select their own authorities and to make their own laws. A basic question, therefore, is the legitimate role and authority of government in the context of human rights.

In the Declaration of Independence, the rights of all people are declared to be life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With regard to “life” in a world of kings, stars and emperors, the life of the individual had belonged largely to the ruler.

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