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Natural Rights Philosopher Thomas Paine

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“Natural rights are those which always appertain to man in right of his existence. Of this kind are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual for his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the rights of others.” Philosopher Thomas Paine states a clear example of what is profound about the Declaration of Independence. This quote is an example of natural rights philosophy which is the idea that there are some rights we are born with as humans. Natural rights are rights that deem all “men” equal to each other. John Locke, a natural rights philosopher believed that everyone is born with these rights and they cannot be taken away. These are unalienable rights. …show more content…

His idea on higher law is: “The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but to have the law of nature for his rule.” By this he means that no one should be above anyone else. Natural rights are being applied to real life; this is profound about the Declaration. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” When Thomas Jefferson stated this in the Declaration of Independence, he meant that everyone is equal in their rights and these rights are non-transferable among others. Unalienable is a simple definition that holds a lot of meaning. When this word is stated, it means there are certain rights one has as a citizen of the United States of America that cannot be taken away or given to someone else. If one is without clothes, another can give them clothes to wear; but, one can never give another rights such as life, liberty, and

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