How do liberals perceive natural rights? (10 marks)
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- Created by: Dulcimer
- Created on: 31-12-14 13:05
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- How do liberals perceive natural rights? (10 marks)
- today’s terminology, ‘natural rights’ are also referred to as ‘human rights’
- Such rights are held by people as part of their very humanity
- seen as God-given or derived from nature itself
- The concept of natural rights is important in general political theory
- Because it assumes that humans are innately rational and good
- That they carry into political society those rights that they enjoyed in earlier stages of history
- Central to liberalism is the debate about whether rights occur ‘naturally'
- OR
- flow from membership of a specific policy
- OR
- Central to liberalism is the debate about whether rights occur ‘naturally'
- That they carry into political society those rights that they enjoyed in earlier stages of history
- Because it assumes that humans are innately rational and good
- Liberals who believe in ‘natural rights’
- would contend that respect for individuals’ rights is the foundation of political morality
- Indeed, in this sense such rights, to use ananalogy, operate as ‘trumps’
- which override competing considerations
- This prevents collective goals from being used to
- Justify denying individuals the right to do what they wish
- Imposing some laws
- Injury on individuals
- Furthermore, governments are obliged to uphold these rights
- if a government does not, it acts immorally
- Indeed, in this sense such rights, to use ananalogy, operate as ‘trumps’
- would contend that respect for individuals’ rights is the foundation of political morality
- How such a position conflicts with the views held by Legal Positivists
- who maintain that individuals have rights only in so far as these are recognised and codified within legal systems
- this view is closer to the reality of modern societies
- who maintain that individuals have rights only in so far as these are recognised and codified within legal systems
-
Locke
-
Two Treatise of Government (1690)
- which he advanced his theory of natural rights
-
Two Treatise of Government (1690)
-
Locke believed that
natural rights amounted to “life, liberty and property”
- founding father Thomas Jefferson extended this to mean “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
- today’s terminology, ‘natural rights’ are also referred to as ‘human rights’
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