Natural Law Principles and Human Rights in Hobbes’ Leviathan

Discuss the relationship between natural law principles and human rights.

“And thus farre concerning the constitution, Nature and Right of Soveraigns; and concerning the Duty of Subjects, derived from the Principles of Natural Reason.” (p. 284).

The concept of human rights is often associated with the idea of natural law, which observes that legal structures accommodate moral principles that are common to all members of society by virtue of their rational and spiritual nature. Many people in society perceive moral principles to have been designed by God to ensure that human beings coexist peacefully. As a result, many people observe moral principles without fearing punishment by legal or political structures that may result from the contravention. For this reason, natural laws are based on the underlying principles of justice and morality that are broadly adopted by all human beings despite ethnic and religious differences and apply in all societies and at any time (Mark 391). In the contemporary world, natural laws include the right of citizens to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and equality, while contravention of such principles is universally accepted as punishable.

By encouraging members of society to act naturally and inherently as human beings, natural laws form a foundation for human rights. Since the early days of human civilization, natural laws were observed to have existed without the requirement of human understanding or any kind of political order or legislature. Such principles, therefore, encouraged members of society to coexist peacefully by understanding the difference between right and wrong (Dzitiev 99). Such principles also encouraged members of society to treat each other with dignity to protect life and ensure that each member has access to the resources they require for survival. Eventually, natural laws were replicated and advanced throughout different generations to form a foundation for basic human rights. Such principles also played a role in the history of political and philosophical concepts that have enhanced many philosophers’ efforts to understand and discuss human nature and the government’s role in advancing human civilization.

Works Cited

Mark, Clifton. “The natural laws of good manners: Hobbes, glory, and early modern civility.” The Review of Politics, vol. 80, no.3, 2018, pp. 391-414. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/natural-laws-of-good-manners-hobbes-glory-and-early-modern-civility/0A1254701EE7DD34660355B3BA6027D4

Dmitriev, Aslan. “The natural laws of human life.” ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, vol. 7, no. 8, 2017, pp. 99-132. https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:aca&volume=7&issue=8&article=011