--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Natural rights is simple nonsense…" description: "\"Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense—nonsense upon stilts.\" — Jeremy Bentham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/jeremy-bentham-7785_natural_natural-rights-is-simple-nonsense-natura_1082427.jpg" --- # Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and… ![“Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense—nonsense upon stilts.” quote by Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/jeremy-bentham-7785_natural_natural-rights-is-simple-nonsense-natura_1082427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/jeremy-bentham-7785_natural_natural-rights-is-simple-nonsense-natura_1082427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/jeremy-bentham-7785_natural_natural-rights-is-simple-nonsense-natura_1082427.jpg) > “Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense—nonsense upon stilts.” [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Natural rights are a rhetorical construct without empirical basis, rendering them meaningless. **In simple terms:** Natural rights lack substance. Key Takeaway Question assumptions. Themes political theory rights critique legal philosophy Mood critical analytical Type philosophical legal When to use this quote - policy debate - human rights law - public discourse Key Concepts Utilitarianism skepticism Questions to Reflect On - Do rights need grounding? - How do societies enforce rights? A Different Perspective Rights concepts still shape law and morality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-rights/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [Nonsense Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense-natural-2754036/) [Nonsense Stilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense-stilts-1720332/) [Rhetorical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetorical/) [Rhetorical Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetorical-nonsense-2754037/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Stilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stilts/) ## Related quotes > [“Nonsense on stilts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nonsense-on-stilts/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [“Natural rights, nonsense; natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense, elevated nonsense, nonsense going on stilts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/natural-rights-nonsense-natural-and-imprescriptible-rights-rhetorical/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Creationist critics often charge that evolution cannot be tested, and therefore cannot be viewed as a properly scientific subject at all. 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