Postulates on Natural Law and Natural Rights
In the three assigned articles the authors cover the conceptualization and application of natural law and natural rights. Brian Tierney, examines the relationship between natural law and natural rights and wonders whether the two concepts are logically incompatible with one another, or whether natural rights were derived from natural law. Eduardo A. Velasquez’s article looks at the application of natural rights with the founding of the American Republic through the works of James Wilson – one of the least known of the Founding Fathers of the Republic – and his modern liberal principles and natural law teachings.
Finally, Randy E. Barnett considers the legal application of natural rights in today’s world identifying not only its intellectual construct but also how they are used by individuals in the pursuit of their objectives.
Your task is: 1) to read the three articles, and 2) use the book and the articles to answer the following questions:
After reading and analyzing these articles are you able to identify how these modern
scholars have conceptualized natural law and natural rights?
Are there any significant differences between these authors?
What are Wilson’s teachings on natural rights and his contributions to the Republic?
Your work must be based EXCLUSIVELY (i.e., ONLY) on the following literature:
1. Barnett, Randy E. “The Imperative of Natural Rights in Today’s World”. The Good
Society, Vol. 12, No. 3, Symposium: Natural Law and Secular Society (2003), pp.
1, 4-6
2. Tierney, Brian. “Natural Law and Natural Rights: Old Problems and Recent Approaches”. The Review of Politics. 64 (3)(2002): 389.
3. Velasquez, E. A. “Rethinking America’s Modernity: Natural Law, Natural Rights,
and the Character of James Wilson’s Liberal Republicanism”. POLITY. 29
(2)(1996): 193-220.
