Natural rights
Natural Rights are the rights that individuals possess before the establishment of government. These rights include the right to life, liberty, property, and health, and are often considered representative of Human Rights.
In Ancient Greece, natural rights were believed to be inherent to human nature, while Scholastic Philosophy viewed them as rights bestowed by God. The concept of natural rights advanced significantly in the 17th century through the development of Social contract theory. Hobbes defined the State of nature, a hypothetical state where individuals have the right to self-preservation and are free and equal. He argued for the universality of natural rights. However, in this state, the "struggle of all against all" would arise, as individuals would be allowed to harm others for self-defense. To avoid this, Hobbes advocated for a Nation and Government based on a social contract, which would protect individuals' right to self-preservation by eliminating external threats that hinder their will.
John Locke further expanded on this concept, proposing that if a Nation or Government violates Individual Rights (Right of Properties), the citizens have the right to resist and even revolutionize. This idea of the Right to Resist and Right of revolution had a significant influence on events like the American Revolutionary War and other Citizen Revolutions. Rousseau also contributed to this line of thought.
The notion of natural rights was adopted into the constitutions of various countries. The earliest adoptions occurred in America and France. In 1776, the Virginia Declaration of Rights was adopted in America, stating in Article 1 that "all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights." In 1789, France adopted the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which declared in Article 1 that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights." The Constitution of Japan also draws on Natural Rights Philosophy and protects human rights as "inalienable rights that cannot be violated" (Article 11 and 97).