ABSTRACT
John Locke was the first to elaborate modern liberalism in a comprehensive and influential system of thought, and it still reflects fully the recognition of men’s obligation to abide by a ‘higher law’ than that devised by humans. The belief that politics can and must be guided by the injunctions of reason contained in a ‘law of nature’, has been persistently maintained by philosophers and jurists during decisive phases of the development of political thought. Locke was the first to elaborate modern liberalism in a comprehensive and influential system of thought, and it still reflects fully the recognition of men’s obligation to abide by a ‘higher law’ than that devised by humans. Traditionally, natural law had been held to obligate all men, though they were not supposed to have an equal knowledge of it. If natural equality is modified by different capacities, natural law cannot be known equally by all men.
