"Just about as much right ... as pigs have to fly"

I have not yet elaborated on this particular point -- have not checked the OED -- but perhaps Grice (and, perhaps, Hare) are into this idea of what R. Wertheimer (and L. Horn) have dubbed 'monoguism' --

'right'

would be, ultimately, a _monosemous_ lexical unit. It would be of some conceptual(and not just lexicological interest) to check which occurrences of 'right' were prior in, say, the English language. Meanwhile, I rather append below a bibliography by W. Edmundson (Edmundson writes: "Suggested additions would be appreciated").

Not having been able to check with the OED's quotes for "right", I will have to rely on memory, and there's this somewhat frivolous quote that comes to mind -- from _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_:

"Thinking again?" the Duchess asked,
with another dig of her sharp little chin.
"I've a right to think," said Alice sharply,
for she was beginning to feel a little worried.
"Just about as much right," said the Duchess,
"as pigs have to fly: and the m-"
L. Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
ch. 'The Mock Turtle Story', Penguin, p. 123.

The Duchess is "implicating" (if not logically implying) -- it seems -- that Alice has _no_ (real) right to think, but then we are not told what the 'moral' of the Duchess's simile is.

In the frivolous terms that the Duchess puts this, "Alice has a right to think". Indeed Alice _is_ (apparently) thinking, and, indeed, uses "I've a right to think" to _justify_ her (actual or potential) thinking. The Duchess retorts, 'Just about as much right as pigs have to fly' -- implicating none. I often wonder if pigs _do_ have a right to fly. If rights _support_ (as logicians are wont to say) a counterfactual claim, then I guess pigs do have (perhaps an inalienable, even) right to fly...?

As for the connection 'right' and 'agency' -- there is a specific ref. to an essay by A. Sen in W. Edmundson's biblio below which seems to touch on that, too.

A bibliography on rights.
From
http://law.gsu.edu/wedmundson/Syllabi/rightbib.htm

ALEXY R. Individual rights & collective goods.
In C Nino, Rights. New York University Press.
APPLEBAUM A. Are violations of rights ever right? Ethics 108
ARNOLD C. Analysis of 'right'.
In E Kamenka/A Tay, Human Rights. Arnold.
BAKER J. Group rights. University of Toronto Press.
BECKER L. Property rights: philosophic foundations. Routledge
Individual rights.
In _And justice for all: new esays on individual rights
& public policy, ed. T. Regan & D Veer. Rowman & Littlefield
The moral basis of property rights.
In J Pennock & J Chapman, Nomos 22 Property
Three types of rights. Georgia Law Review 13
BEDAU H. The right to life. Monist 52
Anarchical fallacies: Bentham's attack on human rights.
Human Rights Quarterly 22
BENDITT T. Rights. Rowman & Littlefield
BENTHAM J Anarchical fallacies. J Waldron,
Nonsense upon Stilts: Bentham, Burke & Marx on the rights of man.
BRANDT R Utilitarianism & moral rights.
Canadian Journal of Philosophy 14
'Moral right'. Journal of Philosophy 80
BROWN S. Inalienable rights. Philosophical Review 64
BROWNLIE I. Basic documents on human rights. Clarendon.
BUCHANAN A What's so special about rights?
Social Philosophy and Politics 2
CAMPBELL T. Human rights: from rhetoric to reality. Blackwell
The Left & rights: an analysis of the idea of
socialist rights. Routledge
CHARVET J. A critique of human rights.
In Pennock & Chapman, eds., Human Rights
COOPER J. J Justice & rights in Aristotle.
Review of Metaphysics 49
CRANSTON M. What are human rights? Basic Books
Human rights: a reply to Raphael.
In Political Theory and the Rights of Man (ed.)
D. Raphael. Macmillian
CRAWFORD J, ed. The Rights of Peoples. Clarendon
DECEW J. Moral rights. Philosophical Studies 54
DEMSETZ H. Property rights. American Economic Review 57
DONNELLY J. Human rights. St. Martin's Press
DOWNIE. The right to criticize. Journal of Philosophy 44
DWORKIN. R Rights as trumps.
In Waldron, ed., Theories of Rights,
Taking Rights Seriously. Harvard.
Do We Have a Right to Die? in Dworkin, Freedom's Law.
Harvard,
ELIOT R. Moral autonomy, self-determination & animal rights.
Monist 70
ELSHTAIN J. Human rights. J.L. & Relig. 14
FAY T. Rights & natural law. Thomist 55
FEINBERG J. Rights, human rights & racial discrimination.
Journal of Philosophy 61
Duties and rights. American Philosophical Quarterly 3
Rights. Journal of Value Inquiry 4
Moral rights. In Freedom & Fulfillment,
Princeton University Press
Human duties & animal rights. Etyka 18
The rights of animals & unborn generations.
Is there a right to be born?
In Feinberg, Rights, Justice, and the Bounds of Liberty
Rights, justice, and the Bounds of Liberty:
Essays in Social Philosophy. Princeton University Press
Voluntary euthenasia & the inalienable right to Life.
Philosophy & Public Affairs 7
FINNIS J. Natural rights. Clarendon
The rights & wrongs of abortion
Philosophy & Public Affairs 92
FLATHMAN R. The practice of rights. Cambridge University Press
FRANCIONE G. Rain without thunder: the ideology of the
animal rights movement. Temple University Press
FRANKENA W. Natural & inalienable Rights. Philosophical Review 64
FREEDEN M Rights. Open University Press
FREY R Utility & rights. University of Minnesota Press
Interests & rights: the case against animals. Oxford University Press,
FRIED C Right & wrong. Harvard
Rights & health care: beyond equity & efficiency.
New England J. Med. 293
GALSTON W. On the alleged right to do wrong. Ethics 93
GEWIRTH A. Are rhere any absolute rights?
In Waldron, ed., Theories of Rights
Human rights: University of Chicago Press.
Why rights are indispensable. Mind 95
GIBBARD A Utility & rights. Social Philosophy and Policy 1
GLENDON M. Rights talk: the impoverishment of political discourse.
Free Press,
GOLDING M. Human rights. The Monist 52
The concept of 'right': a historical sketch.
in E. Bandman & B. Bandman, eds., Bioethics and Human Rights.
Justice & rights.
in E. Shelp, ed., Justice and Health Care. Dordrecht
From prudence to rights:
In J Pennock, Human Rights
Welfare rights. Social Philosophy and Policy 1
Community & rights.
Bulletin of the Australian Society of Legal Philosophy 9
The presuppositions of rights discourse. A.R.S.P.
Rights discourse. Philosophical Topics 18
Aristotelian ethics & natural rights. Reason Papers 16
GRIFFIN J. Rights. In Frey, Utility & rights
HAKSAR V. Rights.
Archiv fuer Rechts- und Soziaphilosophie 64
HALPIN A. Rights & law. Hart Publishing,
Rights & reasons.
Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 18
HARDWIG J Should women think in terms of rights? Ethics 94
HAREL A. What demands are 'rights'?
An investigation into the relation between rights & reasons.
Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 17
Rights. Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence 11
HART H. Are there any natural rights? Philosophical Review 64.
In Waldron, Theories of Rights
Bentham on legal rights. In Essays on Bentham
Between utility & rights,
in Essays in Jurisprudence and Philosophy. Clarendon.
The ascription of responsibility & rights.
Aristotelian Society 49
HARTNEY M. Collective rights
Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence 4
HENKIN L International Human Rights as 'rights'.
in Pennock & Chapman, Human Rights
HONORE T. Rights & the rightless
in Making Law Bind. Oxford University Press,
HUDSON S & D Husak. Legal rights. Philosophical Studies 37
HUSAK D. Why there are no human rights.
In Smith & Blocker, ed. Applied Social &
Political Philosophy, Prentice Hall
INGRAM A. Rights. Clarendon
JACOBS L. The enabling model of rights. Political Studies 41
Rights & deprivation. Clarendon
JEFFRIES A. Women's voices, women's rights. Westview Press,
JONES P Rights. Macmillan,
KAMENKA E & A. Tay. Human Rights. Arnold,
KAMM F. Positive Rights. Philosophy & Public Affairs 15
Morality: rights & duties.
KANGER S & H Kanger. Rights. Theoria 32
KATEB G. Individuality & rights.
In N Rosenblum, Liberalism and the Moral Life. Harvard
KAVKA G. Disability and the right to work. Social Philosophy & Policy 9
KRAMER M, N SIMMONDS & H STEINER, A debate over rights. Oxford,
KUFLIK, A. Inalienable rights. Ethics 97
KYMLICKA W ed., The rights of minority cultures. OUP
Multicultural citizenship: a liberal theory
of minority rights. OUP
LADENSON R. Two kinds of rights. Journal of Value Inquiry 13
LEMOS R. Rights and goods. University of Delaware Press,
LOMASKY L. Persons & rights. Oxford University Press.
LOUDEN R. Rights infatuation & the impoverishment of moral theory.
Journal of Value Inquiry 17
LUND W. The right to do wrong: Assessing the communitarian
critique of rights. Journal of Social Philosophy 28
LYONS D. Utility & Rights.
In Waldron, Theories of Rights
Rights and duties. Nous 4
Human Rights. Philosophy & Public Affairs 6
Rights. American Philosophical Quarterly 6
Rights. Oxford UP
MACCORMICK N Children's rights: A test case for theories of rights.
In MacCormick, Legal Right and Social Democracy.
Essays in Legal and Poltitical Philosophy. Clarendon
Rights in Legislation in
Law, Morality, and Society: Essays in Honor of H.L.A. Hart (eds.)
Hacker and Raz. Clarendon Press,
MACHAN T. Human Rights. American Philosophical Quarterly 17
Individuals & their rights. Open Court,
MACKIE J. Can there be a right-based moral theory?
In Waldron, ed., Theories of Rights
MARITAIN J. The rights of man. London.
MARKS S. Emerging human rights
Rutgers Law Review 33
MARSHALL G. Rights, options, and entitlements,
Oxford Essays in Jurisprudence, ed A Simpson. Clarendon
MARTIN R. Human rights & civil rights. Philosophical Studies 37
Rights. Oxford University Press,
Rights. American Philosophical Quarterly 17
MAUTNER T. The Correlativity Theory of Rights
in Sten Lindstrom & Wlodzimierz Rabinowicz, eds., In So Many Words.
Uppsala,
MAYO B. Human Rights. Aristotelian Society 34
MCCLOSKEY H. Rights. Philosophical Quarterly 15
The right to life. Mind 84
Rights. Australian Journal of Philosophy 54
Moral rights & animals. Inquiry 22
MCCONNELL T. Inalienable Rights. Law and Philosophy 3
MELDEN A. Rights. University of California Press
Rights & persons. University of California Press,
MEYER M. The constitution of rights.
Cornell University Press
MEYERS D Inalienable rights. Columbia University Press.
MILLER F. Nature, Justice, and rights in Aristotle.
Clarendon Press,
Aristotle & the origins of natural rights.
Review of Metaphysics 49
MILNE A. Human Rights. Suny Press,
MITSIS P. The Stoic origin of natural rights.
In J. Ierodiakonou, Topics in Stoic Philosophy. Oxford UP.
MOORE W. Constitutional rights. Princeton University Press
MONTAGUE P. Two concepts of rights. Philosophy & Public Affairs 9
Rights & duties of Compensation. Philosophy & Public Affairs 13
Absolute Rights. Philosophical Studies 46
Rights: Logical Considerations. Nous 19
When rights are infringed. Philosophical Studies 53
NAGEL T. Personal rights. Philosophy and Public Affairs 24
NELSON W. Moral Rights. Ratio 18
Special and general rights. Philosophy & Public Affairs 3
NICKEL J. Making sense of human rights. University of California Press
Rights. Georgia Law Review 11
Are human rights utopian? Philosophy & Public Affairs 11
NIELSEN K. Scepticism and Human Rights. Monist 52
NINON C. Human Rights. Clarendon
O'NEILL O. Children's rights. Ethics 98
PAINE T. Rights of man. Penguin
PEFFER R. Rights to Well-Being. Philosophy & Public Affairs 8
PENNOCK J. Human Rights. Nomos 22. New York University Press
PERRY T. Legal Rights. American Philosophical Quarterly 14
PERRY M. Human Rights. Oxford University Press,
PETTIT P. Rights, constraints & trumps. Analysis 47
PLAMENATZ J. Rights. Aristotelian Society 24
PORTER J. Why rights talk matters. J.L. & Relig. 14
RACHELS J. Why do animals have a right to liberty?
in Regan & Singer, eds., Animal Rights and Human Obligations
Do animals have a right to life?
in H.B. Miller & W.H. Williams, Ethics & Animals Humana Press
RAINBOLT G. Rights as normative constraints on others.
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 53.
RAPHAEL D. Human Rights. Aristotelian Society 39
The Rights of man & the rights of the citizen
In Political Theory and the Rights of Man (ed.) Raphael.
MacMillan,
RAWLS J. The law of peoples. In Stephen Shute & Susan Hurley, eds.,
On Human Rights: The Oxford Amnesty Lectures. Basic Books,
RAZ J. Rights. Mind 93
Moral rights & duties. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 4
Right-based morality. In Waldron, ed., Theories of Rights.
Rights. Political Studies 26
REGAN T. Animal Rights. University of California Press,
& P. Singer, eds., Animal Rights and Human Obligations. Prentice Hall,
RICHARD B. Inalienable rights.
Philosophy & Phenomenological Research 29
RIGTERINK R. Warning: The Surgeon Moralist Has
Determined that Claims of Rights Can be Detrimental
to Everyone's Interests. Indiana University Press,
RITCHIE D. Natural rights. Muirhead
ROBINSON R. Rights. University of Toronto Law Journal 33
ROSHWALD M. Human rights. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 19
ROWLANDS M Animal rights. St. Martin's Press,
SARAT A & T. Kearns, Identities, Politics, & Rights.
University of Michigan Press, 1995
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SCANLON T. Rights, goals, & fairness.
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SCHEFFLER S Natural Rights. Canadian Journal of Philosophy 6
SCHILLER M. Inalienable Rights? Ethics 79
SEN A. Rights & agency. Philosophy & Public Affairs 11
Human rights & Asian values.
Carnegie Council on ethics & international affairs,
SHAFER-LANDAU R. Absolute Rights. Arizona Law Review 37
SHAPIRO I. Rights in Political Theory.
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SHUE H. Basic Rights
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SILVERSTEIN H. Unleashing Rights. University of Michigan Press,
SINGER M. Rights & duties. Philosophical Studies 23
SMITH M. Rights & responsibilities. Criminal Justice Ethics 15
SMITH T. Rights, wrongs, & Aristotelian Egoism:
Illuminating the Rights/Care Dichotomy.
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SPECTOR H. Autonomy & Rights. Oxford University Press.
STEINER H. Compossible Rights. Journal of Philosophy 74
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STONE C. Should trees have standing? toward legal rights for
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SUNER L. The moral foundation of rights. Oxford University Press,
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TIERNEY B. Tuck on Rights: Some Medieval Problems.
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Marsilius on Rights. Journal of the History of Ideas 52
TRAKMAN L & S. Gatien, Rights & responsibilities.
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TRIBE L. Abortion: the clash of absolutes. Norton,
TRUBEK D. Economic, Social & cultural rights.
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WASSERSTROM R. Rights, Human Rights & Racial Discrimination. Journal of
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WEINREB L. Oedipus at Fenway Park:
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WESTEN P. Comment on Montague's 'Rights & Duties of Compensation'.
Philosophy/Public Affairs 14
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WOLGAST E. Equality & the rights of women.
Cornell University Press,
WRIGHT R. Quasimodo: persons with disabilities & the nature of rights.
J.L. & Relig 14.
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