Just as there is no omniscient provider of a set of moral rules, so there is no external guarantor of rights. The code of rights has to be devised and implemented by conscious beings through a democratic process. In working out the fundamental rights of its citizens, governments should seek to balance the needs of individuals against the need to develop a cooperative ethos. As with individual morality, the only underlying principles in this process should be the pursuit of truth and the maximisation of love. Varying circumstances might entail revisions of the bill of rights but a few examples of individual rights that would probably never change are:  • 1. The right to continued life  • 2. The right to freedom from unwanted and needless pain  • 3. The right to equality of opportunity for self-development  • 4. The right to reasonable self-expression. The democratic process should determine an extra code which makes explicit the rights of children. It should also produce another code relating to animals. BACK