▁free , ▁govern ments ▁need ▁the ▁consent ▁of ▁the ▁govern ed . ▁Thomas ▁Jefferson , ▁arg u ably ▁echo ing ▁Lock e , ▁appe aled ▁to ▁un al ien able ▁rights ▁in ▁the ▁Dec laration ▁of ▁Independ ence , ▁" We ▁hold ▁these ▁truth s ▁to ▁be ▁self - ev ident , ▁that ▁all ▁men ▁are ▁created ▁equal , ▁that ▁they ▁are ▁end owed ▁by ▁their ▁Cre ator ▁with ▁certain ▁un al ien able ▁Rights , ▁that ▁among ▁these ▁are ▁Life , ▁Liber ty ▁and ▁the ▁purs uit ▁of ▁H app iness ." ▁The ▁Lock e an ▁idea ▁that ▁govern ments ▁need ▁the ▁consent ▁of ▁the ▁govern ed ▁was ▁also ▁fundamental ▁to ▁the ▁Dec laration ▁of ▁Independ ence , ▁as ▁the ▁American ▁Revolution aries ▁used ▁it ▁as ▁just ification ▁for ▁their ▁separation ▁from ▁the ▁British ▁crown . ▁ ▁The ▁Belg ian ▁phil os opher ▁of ▁law ▁Frank ▁van ▁Dun ▁is ▁one ▁among ▁those ▁who ▁are ▁elabor ating ▁a ▁sec ular ▁conception ▁of ▁natural ▁law ▁in ▁the ▁liberal ▁tradition . ▁Libert arian ▁the or ist ▁Murray ▁Roth b ard ▁arg ues ▁that ▁" the ▁very ▁existence ▁of ▁a ▁natural ▁law ▁discover able ▁by ▁reason ▁is ▁a ▁potentially ▁powerful ▁threat ▁to ▁the ▁status ▁qu o ▁and ▁a ▁standing ▁repro ach ▁to ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁blind ly ▁traditional ▁custom ▁or ▁the ▁arbitrary ▁will ▁of ▁the ▁State ▁appar atus ." ▁Ludwig ▁von ▁M ises ▁states ▁that ▁he ▁rela id ▁the ▁general ▁soci ological ▁and ▁economic ▁found ations ▁of ▁the ▁liberal ▁doctrine ▁upon ▁util itar ian ism ,