Originally Posted by
GogglesPisano
In either case they are the result of society and the collective will. The term "rights" was meaningless prior to society.
You are confused as has been explained a couple of times above.
Just because previous societies didn't recognize these rights didn't mean they didn't exist. Rights don't come from society. They come from our humanity, which is unique. The government doesn't give rights, society doesn't give rights, humans can't give other humans rights. This is settled jurisprudence that every philosopher and law school student learns pretty much on day 1 of school.
Also the idea of "collective will" is a myth. People can only make decisions for themselves, and can only be held accountable for their own actions.