The concept of natural rights from the perspective of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson (a comparative study)

The theory of natural rights occupies a prominent place among political theories, due to its importance in analyzing how political society emerges. The concept of natural rights is also closely linked to natural law, such that man, living in a state of nature under natural law, possesses natural rights, which is the philosophical basis for human rights. Although philosophers and thinkers did not agree on a unified concept of natural rights and their nature, they agree on the existence of a natural state that precedes political society, whereby humans live by their natural rights.John Locke, a representative of English empiricism and one of the pioneers of liberalism, is considered one of the most prominent people who delved deeply into the theory of natural rights, and the most prominent of these rights for him were (life), (liberty), and (property). As for Thomas Jefferson, who was inspired by many ideas from Locke, perhaps natural rights are among the most prominent, he did not He delves into the theory of natural rights from a theoretical standpoint only, but worked to embody them in the Declaration of Independence and applicable laws, and considered all of (life), (liberty), and (the pursuit of happiness) among the basic natural rights of man.