Should the government ever suspend the rights of the individual for the greater good of society? This has been a controversial topic for a long time. For example, should the death sentence be used as a deterrent to crime as it deprives a person of his or her basic right to live? The torture of suspected terrorists in order to obtain information which is vital to national security is another example of how we might be tempted to sanction the violation of human rights in extreme circumstances. But is it acceptable to torture a prisoner if we believe he knows where a bomb has been hidden - or are his rights absolute?

What are human rights? In my opinion, human rights are those rights which are so fundamental that they cannot be taken away by anyone. The right to live and freedom of expression are two of our basic human rights. Our society can only function properly if citizens can all feel assured that their most fundamental rights weill be protected no matter what; without this assurance we would all live in fear of arbitrary tyrannical rule. Without the right to have contracts upheld in a court of law, our economic system would collapse, while if we did away with our basic civil rights as citizens, our society would descend into despotism or anarchy. Also, if a country deprives people of their rights, it is very possible that those who are able would attempt to leave that country. In the long run, such a country would be plunged into serious economic hardship as it would lose the most vital resource of a skilled workforce.

Furthermore, if human rights are neglected, it is hard to have confidence in the justice of law and order. For example, if authorities can arrest people on suspicion of terrorism or some other particularly serious crime without having to say why or without pressing formal charges, people may come to believe they don't have the.right to question their authority or power, and it may not be long before nobody can rest assured that their liberty cannot be arbitrarily taken away from them.

Of course, we must realise that our human rights sometimes depend on our willingness to accept the rules of society which we inhabit. For example, there is a sense in which we are free to choose to abide to the law or not, but we have to face the consequences of our choices. If we choose to break the law, we of course, would have to be arrested which is the consequence. We have freedom of expression but not the right to abuse that freedom by being gratuitously offensive or indecent, or by inciting people to acts of violence or insurrection. However, it is not easy to make an objective judgment concerning what constitutes legitimate free speech and what is unacceptable. For example, if someone wishes to burn a national flag as a political gesture, is that acceptable? If we are not allowed to say anything which might cause offence to anybody, our freedom of speech would become meaningless because there is always someone who will be offended by any opinion other than his own.