In the united states these rights are seen as given by a higher power and administered by the government. With the belief that if the government fails to administer them individuals may pursue them by other means
actually that’s how it works in a lot of places. the government is just the organization that tries to realize the ideals that were already there in the population before the government existed. the government is just the one trying to make them real. if the government fails to do its job, somebody else does it instead.
there is literally a whole philosophy around the concept that the “state is the reality of the good idea”, where “god” is often understood to be the set of “all good ideas”. so, in other words, the state is seen as the reality of god. you can read literally antique philosophy about this; the view is that old. IIRC it was plato who discussed this, but i could be wrong. could have also been aristotle.
actually that’s how it works in a lot of places. the government is just the organization that tries to realize the ideals that were already there in the population before the government existed. the government is just the one trying to make them real. if the government fails to do its job, somebody else does it instead.
there is literally a whole philosophy around the concept that the “state is the reality of the good idea”, where “god” is often understood to be the set of “all good ideas”. so, in other words, the state is seen as the reality of god. you can read literally antique philosophy about this; the view is that old. IIRC it was plato who discussed this, but i could be wrong. could have also been aristotle.