A right is something that is so inherent to us as humans that it cannot be taken away by another human, without fundamentally altering the human in question.
An example would be the right to pursue happiness. No one can take that away from you. They can beat you, lock you up, etc, but they can't stop you from trying to find happiness where ever you are.
No, there can not be true rights external to a society. Rights are internal to all societies, whether they exercise them or not.
No. True rights exist whether people recognize them or not.
There is a huge difference between rights and privileges. Rights can not be privileges and privileges can not be true rights.
The US Constitution guarantees US citizens certain "rights". These, however, are entirely conditional, generally upon good behaviour.
You have the right to free speech and freedom of expression, as long as you don't yell fire in a theater, or spread naked pics of children.
You have the right to firearms, unless you're convicted of certain felonies.
You have the right to vote, unless convicted of certain felonies.
You have the right to privacy, unless there's a search warrant involved.
The list goes on and on. You only have these "rights", as long as you behave in a certain way.
As such, they're privileges, not true rights. They are granted to you preemptively, and remain yours as long as you toe the proverbial line. Cross the line, and the privilege is revoked.
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