Natural law theory
August 10, 2011

The theory of natural law is a legal and philosophical belief in where all are governed by innate basic laws or the laws of nature, which are separate and distinct from the laws that are legislated. Laws are sometimes referred to as “positive laws” within the framework of the theory of natural law, to make a clear distinction between natural and social laws. the theory of natural law has greatly influenced the laws and the governments of many nations, including Britain and the United States, and is also reflected in publications such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The origins of natural law theory are found in ancient Greece. Many Greek philosophers discussed and codified the concept of natural law, and played an important role in the Greek government. Later philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke based on the work of the Greeks in the natural law. Many of these philosophers used natural law as a framework to criticize and reform the substantive law, arguing that positive laws are unfair under the principles of natural law and legally insufficient.
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