William Cloud Hicklin wrote:
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That's really a very modern notion, and fairly American, or at least a reflection of American thinking's influence on the world.
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I agree that as stated this is a fairly modern idea (modern in the broad post-1500 or so sense). But I don't agree that it's fundamentally American. On the contrary, the idea of a 'higher law' that takes precedence over loyalty to a particular government - or even a particular nation - is fundamental to a lot of Enlightenment-era thinking. It's fairly clearly expressed in Locke and Rousseau, for instance, and one can perhaps find its roots in Hobbes. Indeed, I think one could argue that its ultimate roots are found in Plato and Aristotle.