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The Philosophy Café at Harvard Book Store
asks about With Housing and Health Care For All:
Should We Adopt an Economic Bill of Rights?
The Philosophy Café at Harvard Book Store is a monthly gathering meant for the informal, relaxed, philosophical discussion of topics of mutual interest to participants. No particular expertise is required to participate, only a desire to explore philosophy and its real-world applications. The Philosophy Café is usually held on the third Wednesday of each month, from 7:30-9:30 pm, in the Used Book department on the lower level of Harvard Book Store. The discussion's moderator, Tom Clark, is director of the Center for Naturalism, creator of Naturalism.org, and author of Encountering Naturalism: A Worldview and Its Uses. Topic of Discussion for October: With Housing and Health Care For All: Should We Adopt an Economic Bill of Rights? In the founding philosophy of the United States, personal liberty trumps all other values. The Constitution declares freedoms of religion, press and speech, and prohibits slavery, unreasonable search and seizure, and cruel and unusual punishment. But in 1944, President Roosevelt argued that "true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence," and proposed a second Bill of Rights to guarantee adequate food, housing, employment and health care. Was he right? Should Americans have inalienable rights to the material necessities of life, and if not, why not?
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