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Divine right was as much a product of philosophy as anything else.
It is an interesting case to examine the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in light of the philosophical heritage of the founding fathers. Happiness in the classical world, as per Aristotle, meant operating in accordance with perfect virtue. That might be Aquinas' take on Aristotle's definition, but what ever. The point is, and this goes for discussions on liberty, you can see how much definitions change over a short few centuries, thus leading to simple phrases such as "the pursuit of happiness" taking on entirely new meaning, diverging greatly from what was understood and meant at the time it was penned.
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