Human Rights Networks

Historical Definitions

One of the earliest documented human rights records is the ancient Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (approximately 1790 B.C.E.). The code, engraved on a large stone intended for public viewing, enunciated 282 laws, in very simple language, organized around themes (slavery, theft, judges, commerce, inheritance). While it did not specify the rights of individuals, it defined punishments for infringement. The code also identified aspects of the familial social network, defining the rights and responsibilities of parents, children, husbands, and wives.

The ancient Greeks are often credited with the development of the concept of natural rights. They believed all human behavior is governed by basic innate laws, or laws of nature. Many natural-law theorists believe all humans are essentially reasonable, and their motives are driven by a sense of self-preservation. The 17th-century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes viewed [Page 386]natural law as how a rational human being, seeking to survive and prosper, would behave. He viewed people as acting from self-interest and government as necessary to ensure that self-interest did not supersede the rights or safety of others. Thus arose the concept of the social contract through which individuals gained civil rights by subjecting oneself to civil authority or governance. John Locke, a scholar, medical researcher, physician, and revolutionary philosopher of the 17th and 18th centuries, believed a legitimate government is instituted by the explicit consent of the governed. The purpose of law is not to abolish or restrain but to preserve and enlarge freedom. He expanded the concept of natural law by affirming that people were born with three rights: the right to life, property, and liberty or freedom. Thus, a social network of individuals agrees to be governed and shares expectations of the rights to be equally enjoyed.

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