Reflections of a stormy petrel

And if you have an issue with that, tell me what Jefferson and the founder meant by claiming that "all men are created equal?" Certainly not that they are created the same; and indeed they qualified their statement immediately by saying "and endowed by their Creator with certain [and] inalienable rights". That is, all men are equal in the way that society is to treat them, in the way that the law is to deal with them, in the way that they consider and deal with each other. That is, equality of rights presupposes a society. What would that mean to Robinson Crusoe? He would have no rights, because he could claim nothing from anyone; and no duties, because nobody could claim anything from him. The desire to survive, which is the driving force of Robinson until he meets Man Friday, is neither a right nor a duty, but an urge.