 Green’s criticisms of social contract theory reflect his conception of rights. According to Green, rights are claims that individuals possess to those powers that are socially recognizable as contributing to a common good (LPPO §§25–26, 113–115, 138, 143). In particular, Green thinks that my rights against others to certain normative powers are conditional on my recognition that others possess rights to these same powers against me (LPPO §138). Green rejects the idea of natural rights as rights prior to society but accepts the idea of natural rights as prior to and independent of the positive rights established by political association (LPPO §§9, 16, 30).