Final answer:
John Locke's Natural Rights Theory asserts that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, which are secured through a social contract forming a government built on popular sovereignty.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Locke's Natural Rights Theory
John Locke's Natural Rights Theory posits that in a state of nature, humans are born with certain inalienable rights, which include the rights to life, liberty, and property. These rights are considered fundamental to our existence and are not granted by governments. However, Locke agreed that in the state of nature these rights are not secure. Therefore, people enter into a social contract to form a civil society and government that exist to protect these natural rights. Unlike Hobbes, who saw human life in the state of nature as 'nasty, brutish, and short,' Locke believed that people are generally peaceful and rational but would agree to the social contract to safeguard their rights and ensure justice for all.
Government, then, according to Locke, should be built upon the principle of popular sovereignty, meaning that it exists only with the consent of the governed. A tyrannical government, which fails to protect these natural rights or infringes upon them, is not legitimate and may be overthrown. Locke's ideas were foundational for modern democracy and heavily influenced the framing of constitutional governments around the world.