Question

Which three natural rights does John Locke say humans possess?

1) life, liberty, and property
2) life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
3) rights to police and fire protection, education and health care
4) none of the above

Answer 1

John Locke's natural rights include 1) life, liberty, and property; these rights form the basis of a legitimate government that must protect them through a social contract.

Step-by-step explanation:

The three natural rights posited by English philosopher John Locke are 1) life, liberty, and property. In his seminal work, Two Treatises of Government, Locke argued that these rights are intrinsic to our being and exist in a state of nature.

As such, they serve as the foundation for a legitimate government, whose primary purpose is to safeguard these rights through a social contract.

Locke's theories profoundly influenced the formation of modern democratic societies and were foundational to the ideas of later philosophers and political figures, including Thomas Jefferson, who adapted Locke's ideas to declare the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence.