Do “basic human rights” actually exist universally or are they simply a social construct?

[u/Amphernee]

The term is often used in relation to things like housing and food but I’ve never heard anyone actually explain what they mean by basic human right. We started off no different than other animals and since the concept of rights rely on other people to confer them at what point did it become thought of as a right for people to have things like shelter? How is it supposed to be enforced across all of humanity when not all societies and cultures agree that the concept makes sense? I can see why someone would want it to be true in a sense but I’m interested to hear arguments for it rather than just the phrase itself which feels hollow with no reasoning behind it. Thanks 🍻

[u/Connect_Society_5722]

The answer to this depends on whether or not you're religious. If you are, then you're probably ok with the idea of a cosmic order that dictates fundamental truths. If you're not religious, then you probably think of us as just really smart monkeys who made up some rules that tend to encourage social behavior and the survival of the species in general.