Liberalism and natural rights

Natural rights

Absolute/god-given rights which are universal and cannot be contained or challenged by a form of authority. There can’t be any opt-outs; the rights are applied equally to all humans once they’re born.

Why don’t natural laws change?

They are fundamental and the most significant rights

What does John Locke state natural rights are?

Life, liberty and property

What are natural rights generally viewed as?

negative rights

If everyone has natural rights, what does this mean (in terms of equality)?

Then every human has equal status and value therefore everyone should have legal equality and equality of opportunity

What did Mary Wollstonecraft state about natural rights?

She stated that women have the same natural rights as men, so they are also human beings and are equal. She argued that education was important for rationality.

What did John Rawls state about natural rights?

• In ‘A Theory of Justice’ Rawls argued that every individual has the same range of basic rights, but that liberty and equality of opportunity are the most important.

• Natural rights are protected by the social contract however, the rights must exist in a relatively equal economic system.

What are the criticisms presented by Edmund Burke and Jeremy Bentham about natural rights?

• The widespread belief in natural rights would lead to social instability.

• Bentham argued that rights arise from govts and therefore not inalienable. He argues that natural rights aren’t a concept. Some modern liberals, such as T. H Green, believes that individual rights must be connected to the common good.