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A natural right is the concept of a universal right inherent in the nature of living beings, one that is not contingent upon laws or beliefs. The theory of natural law, a law whose content is set by nature and therefore has validity everywhere, is derived from natural rights. During the Enlightenment, natural law opposed the divine right of kings, and became the basis of classical liberalism. The concept of a natural right can be contrasted with the concept of a legal right A natural right is one that is said to exist even when it is not enforced by the government or society, while a legal right is one created by the government or society for the benefit of its members. The question of which rights are natural and which are legal is an important one in philosophy and politics. Critics of the concept of natural rights argue that all human rights are legal rights, while proponents of the concept of natural rights say that documents like the American Declaration of Independence, and social contracts like the Constitution of the United States, demonstrate the usefulness of recognizing natural rights. The idea of human rights descended from that of natural rights; some recognize no difference between the two and regard both as labels for the same thing, while others choose to keep the terms separate to eliminate association with some features traditionally associated with natural rights.[1] Natural rights, in particular, are the rights of the individual, considered beyond the authority of any government or international body to dismiss. The idea that animals have natural rights is one that has gained the interest of philosophers and legal scholars in the 20th century.[2]
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