Quotation of the Day…

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… is from page 246 of University of Notre Dame philosopher James Otteson’s important 2021 book, Seven Deadly Economic Sins:

Thus, if we have any natural rights at all, one of them – perhaps the first of them – is the right to say “no”: no to any offer, suggestion, command, edict, or mandate; no to any question, inquiry, or demand for information; no to any person, however high, noble, authoritative, or rich. The right to say no is so intimately connected with every aspect of human moral agency, so foundational to what makes us human, and so crucial for the construction of a life of meaning and purpose that it should be considered sacrosanct. We relinquish it at the risk of losing what makes us unique and valuable creatures, and when we take it from others we compromise their humanity.

DBx: No doubt about it.