The individuals being saved, though they do not hold more rights than the single individual, have the positive right to be saved. In matters such as this, it is morally wrong for anyone to “originate a fatal course”, but allowing “one to run its course” is acceptable. The judge not accusing an innocent person and letting the five hostages be potentially killed is letting them die even though they themselves had done nothing. The five individuals were going to be killed not at the hands of the judge but by the mob, so by interfering the judge would be imposing a negative right on the innocent person. The one negative right overrides the five positive rights. Foot would argue that the judge should not frame the innocent individual because the
