Page "Natural law" Paragraph 58

John Locke incorporated natural law into many of his theories and philosophy, especially in Two Treatises of Government.

There is considerable debate about whether his conception of natural law was more akin to that of Aquinas ( filtered through Richard Hooker ) or Hobbes ' radical reinterpretation, though the effect of Locke's understanding is usually phrased in terms of a revision of Hobbes upon Hobbesean contractualist grounds.

Locke turned Hobbes ' prescription around, saying that if the ruler went against natural law and failed to protect " life, liberty, and property ," people could justifiably overthrow the existing state and create a new one.