Who believed that it was up to the government to protect the natural rights of life, liberty and property?

Who believed that it was up to the government to protect the natural rights of life, liberty and property?

Locke
Among these fundamental natural rights, Locke said, are “life, liberty, and property.” Locke believed that the most basic human law of nature is the preservation of mankind. To serve that purpose, he reasoned, individuals have both a right and a duty to preserve their own lives.

Who said government’s role to protect natural rights?

Locke and other natural rights philosophers said that the purpose of government is to protect natural rights. Thomas Jefferson agreed and in the Declaration of Independence argued that the protection of rights is the main purpose of government.

Who argued that all people were born equal and had natural rights to life, liberty & property?

But he disagreed with Hobbes on two major points. First, Locke argued that natural rights such as life, liberty, and property existed in the state of nature and could never be taken away or even voluntarily given up by individuals. These rights were “inalienable” (impossible to surrender).

What did John Locke believe about liberty?

According to Locke, we are born into perfect freedom. We are naturally free. We are free to do what we want, when we want, how we want, within the bounds of the “law of nature.” The problem that most have in understanding this theory of Locke’s is their frame of reference.

What did John Locke believe about the role of government?

According to Locke, the main purpose of government is to protect those natural rights that the individual cannot effectively protect in a state of nature.

Who was a philosopher who believed in natural rights?

John Locke, ” Life, Liberty, Estate ( property )”. John Locke (1632 – 1704) was another prominent Western philosopher who conceptualized rights as natural and inalienable. Like Hobbes, Locke believed in a natural right to life, liberty, and property.

What did John Locke think about the role of government?

By far the most influential writings emerged from the pen of scholar John Locke. He expressed the radical view that government is morally obliged to serve people, namely by protecting life, liberty, and property. He explained the principle of checks and balances to limit government power.

Why was John Locke’s theory of natural rights important?

Another important element of Locke’s theory of natural rights is that it bears the name natural. According to Locke, those rights are natural because they are pre-political that is to say that everyone in the state of nature is entitled to them.

How does the Constitution protect our natural rights?

Constitutional government assures the rights of its citizens in two ways: It establishes limits on the power of the government to prevent it from violating natural rights. It states that the government should be organized and its power distributed in such a way as to increase the possibility that those limitations will be effective.