The social contract theory, most influentially formulated by Hobbes, John Locke and Rousseau (though first suggested by Plato in The Republic), was among the first to provide a political classification of rights, in particular through the notion of sovereignty and of natural rights.
Teorien om sociale kontrakter, der blev udviklet af Hobbes, Locke og Rousseau, var blandt de første der gav en politisk klassificering af rettigheder, specielt gennem konceptet om suverænitet og naturlige rettigheder.