Natural law is made up of the precepts of justice inspired by the nature of the human being.
Natural law is that which is formed by the postulates about justice that are inspired by the natural condition of man. These principles seek to be materialized through positive or effective law , which is made up of the laws dictated by the State (which must be compulsorily respected by all people) to maintain social order.
From the Latin directum , the term law can be translated as that which precisely “is in accordance with the law” and allows the development of precepts of justice that constitute the organization of the institutions and norms that govern a society .
Natural , on the other hand, is what is linked to nature . The notion has multiple meanings and can refer to the essence of a being, to the set of physical phenomena and elements of the earthly world and to the quality of something, among other things.
What is natural law
Natural law (or, in Latin, Ius naturale ) cannot be defined precisely, since its conception has varied throughout history . Generally, natural law is based on an abstract natural entity that is superior to the will of people (such as God ).
Specifically, we could establish that it is the set of norms that human beings deduce or establish from our own conscience and that are the ones that prevail and are determined as justice at a given historical moment. This last sign of identity is what establishes that it changes based on the stage that is being experienced in a society and in a specific time.
It is common for natural law to always be contrasted with what is called positive law . The latter is established that it can only be considered valid because it is the State that grants it the reason to be developed, applied and also recognized. But in addition to this, it is characterized because there are a series of governing bodies that arbitrate it and because the values it establishes are clearly delimited by what is legality.
Natural rights are universal and inalienable.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
Natural rights are inalienable and universal , since no human being can deprive another of their enjoyment and no person can decide to do without them. This makes the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen the charter in charge of collecting and protecting the rights that derive from natural law.
This document has its origin in the year 1789 and more specifically in the development of the French Revolution . And in it the Constituent Assembly approved the personal and collective rights of society that were understood as universal.
However, we have to emphasize that now this Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which came forward thanks to the support of the United Nations General Assembly , has become an instrument to end both discrimination and oppression.