natural right
Born with it
A natural right is a right believed to belong to all humans by virtue of being human, not granted by governments or laws.
Natural rights are often contrasted with legal or civil rights, which exist only through specific laws or constitutions.
The concept underlies much political philosophy: Life, liberty, and property are classic natural rights.
Whether such rights truly exist independent of society remains debated.
Incapable of being surrendered
- unalienableCannot be taken away
- birthrightEntitlement from origin
- self-evidentRequiring no demonstration
- inviolableImpossible to breach
innate · intrinsic · fundamental · immutable · endowment · God-given · inherent · universal
Innate personal worth
- humanityPeople as a whole
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- conscienceInternal moral sense
justice · equity · fairness · personhood · inviolability · respect · integrity · equality
Absence of constraint
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- independenceFreedom from external control
- self-governanceIndependent management of affairs
free will · noninterference · self-ownership · bodily autonomy · conscience · expression · association · movement
English empiricist philosopher's surname
- HobbesEnglish political philosopher
- RousseauFrench surname, philosopher or painter
- social contractAgreement exchanging freedom for order
- EnlightenmentEra prioritizing reason over dogma
rationalism · Paine · Aquinas · Montesquieu · consent · compact · Jeffersonian · deontological
Health-promoting walk
- codifiedMade into systematic rules
- enumeratedListed systematically
- unenumeratedNot explicitly listed
- declarationFormal public announcement
due process · charter · amendment · jurisprudence · adjudication · enforcement · protection · violation
inalienable
Incapable of being surrendered
- unalienableCannot be taken away
- birthrightEntitlement from origin
- self-evidentRequiring no demonstration
inviolable · innate · intrinsic · fundamental · immutable · endowment · God-given · inherent · universal · sacrosanct
dignity
Innate personal worth
conscience · justice · equity · fairness · personhood · inviolability · respect · integrity · equality · universality
freedom
Absence of constraint
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- independenceFreedom from external control
self-governance · free will · noninterference · self-ownership · bodily autonomy · conscience · expression · association · movement · privacy
Locke
English empiricist philosopher's surname
- HobbesEnglish political philosopher
- RousseauFrench surname, philosopher or painter
- social contractAgreement exchanging freedom for order
Enlightenment · rationalism · Paine · Aquinas · Montesquieu · consent · compact · Jeffersonian · deontological · Kantian
constitutional
Health-promoting walk
- codifiedMade into systematic rules
- enumeratedListed systematically
- unenumeratedNot explicitly listed
declaration · due process · charter · amendment · jurisprudence · adjudication · enforcement · protection · violation · remedy
natural rightlegal right
Law-protected claim
statutory right · legal privilege · civil right · constitutional right
natural, right, nature, natures, naturally, naturalness, naturalism, naturalist, naturalistic