Comparing classical republicanism and natural rights
We the People Essay Rough Draft
The government and society that we have in America today is not fully from our own creation. In fact, our founding fathers have integrated ideas from both classical republicans and natural rights philosophers to create the constitutional republic we have in our country. While our founders have found a way to combine the theories from both thinkers into one government, classical republicanism and natural rights philosophy are actually very different in thoughts and concepts. But there are also few similarities such as both sides stress the need for education and preparation for citizenship. Classical republicanism and natural rights emphasize very different ideas. Natural rights philosophy focuses on individual importance. John Locke refers to a natural rights as our givens we have when we are in a state of nature of no laws or rules, rights that come to us as a given as human beings. But people still have to have duties and moral behavior as a citizen, also known as a social contract. Classical republicanism stresses the importance of civic virtue, or helping out society for the benefit through the common good or what is best for the people as a whole. When coming to straight comparisons, they seem very opposite ideas but they both focus on what is best for a country whether that be individually or generally. Our founders believed that there were good points in government from both theorists. They believed that by combining the idea of helping the society as a whole (classical republicanism) and protecting individual rights and working for people’s own self-interest (natural rights philosophy) , a new better idea of people who work for themselves that could benefit the common good overall is the best for America. Cicero’s quote “For our country did not beget and educate us gratuitously, or without the expectation of receiving our support. She does not afford us so many blessings for nothing, and supply us with a
The government and society that we have in America today is not fully from our own creation. In fact, our founding fathers have integrated ideas from both classical republicans and natural rights philosophers to create the constitutional republic we have in our country. While our founders have found a way to combine the theories from both thinkers into one government, classical republicanism and natural rights philosophy are actually very different in thoughts and concepts. But there are also few similarities such as both sides stress the need for education and preparation for citizenship. Classical republicanism and natural rights emphasize very different ideas. Natural rights philosophy focuses on individual importance. John Locke refers to a natural rights as our givens we have when we are in a state of nature of no laws or rules, rights that come to us as a given as human beings. But people still have to have duties and moral behavior as a citizen, also known as a social contract. Classical republicanism stresses the importance of civic virtue, or helping out society for the benefit through the common good or what is best for the people as a whole. When coming to straight comparisons, they seem very opposite ideas but they both focus on what is best for a country whether that be individually or generally. Our founders believed that there were good points in government from both theorists. They believed that by combining the idea of helping the society as a whole (classical republicanism) and protecting individual rights and working for people’s own self-interest (natural rights philosophy) , a new better idea of people who work for themselves that could benefit the common good overall is the best for America. Cicero’s quote “For our country did not beget and educate us gratuitously, or without the expectation of receiving our support. She does not afford us so many blessings for nothing, and supply us with a