Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Natural rights are fundamental freedoms and protections that every individual is inherently entitled to, regardless of laws or government. These rights are considered universal and inalienable, typically including life, liberty, and property.
A theoretical agreement in which individuals consent to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to an authority in exchange for protection of their remaining rights.
A philosophical concept referring to the hypothetical conditions of what the lives of people might have been like before societies came into existence.