From the Latin directum, the term right can be translated as that “that is in accordance with the law” and allows the development of postulates of justice that constitute the organization of the institutions and the norms that govern a society.
Natural, on the other hand, is what is linked to nature. This term 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.
From both concepts follows the idea of natural law, which is made up of postulates about justice that are inspired by the natural condition of man. These principles seek to materialize through positive or effective law, which is made up of the laws issued by the State (which must be compulsorily respected by all people) to maintain social order.
Natural law (or, in Latin, Ius naturale) cannot be precisely defined, since its conception has varied throughout history. In general, natural law is based on a natural abstract entity that is superior to the will of people (such as God). See Abbreviation Finder for acronyms related to Natural Law.
Specifically, we could establish that Natural Law 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 in a given historical moment. This last sign of identity is what establishes that it changes based on the stage that is being lived in a society and in a specific time.
It is usual that natural law is always opposed to what is called positive law. The latter establishes that it can only be considered valid because it is the State that gives it the reason to be elaborated, applied and also recognized. But in addition to this, it is characterized by the fact that there are a series of government bodies that are the ones that arbitrate it and because the values that it establishes are clearly delimited by what is legal.
Natural rights are inalienable and universal, since no human being can deprive another of their enjoyment and no person can decide to dispense with them. This makes the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen the letter in charge of collecting and protecting the rights that derive from natural law.
A document this, which has its origin in the year 1789 and more specifically in the development of the French Revolution. And it is that in it the Constituent Assembly approved the personal and collective rights of society that were understood as universal.
However, we have to underline 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.