▁If ▁the ▁right ▁sought ▁to ▁be ▁enfor ced ▁is ▁incons istent ▁with ▁either ▁of ▁these , ▁the ▁English ▁municipal ▁courts ▁cannot ▁recognize ▁it ." ▁ ▁Hob bes ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁the ▁medieval ▁tele ological ▁view ▁came ▁under ▁inten se ▁criticism ▁from ▁some ▁qu arters . ▁Thomas ▁Hob bes ▁instead ▁founded ▁a ▁contract arian ▁theory ▁of ▁legal ▁posit iv ism ▁on ▁what ▁all ▁men ▁could ▁agree ▁upon : ▁what ▁they ▁sought ▁( h app iness ) ▁was ▁subject ▁to ▁cont ention , ▁but ▁a ▁broad ▁cons ensus ▁could ▁form ▁around ▁what ▁they ▁fe ared ▁( vi ol ent ▁death ▁at ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁another ). ▁The ▁natural ▁law ▁was ▁how ▁a ▁rational ▁human ▁being , ▁seeking ▁to ▁surv ive ▁and ▁prosper , ▁would ▁act . ▁Natural ▁law , ▁therefore , ▁was ▁discovered ▁by ▁considering ▁hum ank ind ' s ▁natural ▁rights , ▁whereas ▁previously ▁it ▁could ▁be ▁said ▁that ▁natural ▁rights ▁were ▁discovered ▁by ▁considering ▁the ▁natural ▁law . ▁In ▁Hob bes ' ▁opinion , ▁the ▁only ▁way ▁natural ▁law ▁could ▁prev ail ▁was ▁for ▁men ▁to ▁submit ▁to ▁the ▁commands ▁of ▁the ▁so ver eign . ▁Because ▁the ▁ult imate ▁source ▁of ▁law ▁now ▁comes ▁from ▁the ▁so ver eign , ▁and ▁the ▁so ver eign ' s ▁dec isions ▁need ▁not ▁be ▁ground ed ▁in ▁mor ality , ▁legal ▁posit iv ism ▁is ▁born . ▁Jer emy ▁Bent ham ' s ▁modifications ▁on ▁legal ▁posit iv ism ▁further ▁developed ▁the ▁theory . ▁ ▁As ▁used ▁by