Abstract

For decades, the paramount alternative to the Interest Theory of rights has been the Will Theory. This article seeks to strengthen the position of the Interest Theory by discrediting its chief rival. Because the article’s main critique of the Will Theory proceeds from premises that do not beg any questions against that theory, it goes further than previous critiques in rebutting all or most versions of the Will Theory on their own terms. In addition, by accentuating the untenability of a sophisticated hybrid theory of rights, the article emphasizes that the Will Theory’s failures are the Interest Theory’s successes.