First Principles

Rights of Individuals/Groups & Responsibilities of Government

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When is it justifiable for Governments (national and global) to intervene in the affairs of individuals and groups (e.g. consumers and businesses)?

Summary:

1. Natural instincts for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" lead to "unalienable" human rights;
2. Government intervention in the exercise of human rights by both individuals (e.g. drug users) and groups (e.g. drug suppliers) should be restricted to preventing harm to others through regulation and law, preventing self-harm through education and encouraging beneficial behaviour. Reasonably safe behaviour, neither beneficial nor particularly harmful, requires no intervention.
3. A cost-benefit analysis guides the definitions of beneficial behaviour, reasonably safe behaviour, behaviour harmful to the subject and behaviour harmful to others.

Background:

1. "We hold these truths to be self-evident:

that all men [or people] are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator [or Nature] with certain unalienable rights;
that amongst these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

Declaration of Independence, USA.

BUT what if the exercise of our "unalienable" rights leads us to infringe the rights of others, to harm them even? Authorities have the responsibility to exercise power on behalf of citizens to regulate society, to prevent harm to others.

2. "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. These are good reasons for remonstrating with him, or reasoning with him, or persuading him, or entreating him, but not for compelling him, or visiting him with any evil, in case he do otherwise. To justify that, the conduct from which it is desired to deter him must be calculated to produce evil to some one else. The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign". On Liberty, John Stuart Mill (1859)