The law of nature as an abstract universal : a study of John Locke's moral principles in light of his critique of the idea of Substance

El presente trabajo se propone estudiar la ley de naturaleza a la luz de la crítica que Locke realiza a la idea de sustancia. En este sentido, en primer lugar, se dará cuenta de los diversos contenidos de la ley de la naturaleza que aparecen en el corpus lockeano. En segundo término, a partir de esta pluralidad de formulaciones, se considerará si resisten la crítica que el propio Locke realiza a la idea de sustancia como esencia nominal, esto es, como definición genérica vaga e imperfecta que carece de ideas simples que la sustenten. Por último, se distinguirá esta crítica interna al concepto lockeano de la ley de la naturaleza de la crítica externa en términos de inconsistencia realizada por otros intérpretes.This paper proposes to study the law of nature in light of Locke´s critique of the idea of substance. To this end, the first thing which will be accounted for is the displacement in Locke’s work regarding what is meant by the demonstration of the content of the law of nature, as well as the type of proof required. In second place, all the different contents of the law of nature that appear in the Lockean corpus will be taken into account: the ten commandments, loving your neighbour as yourself, the principle of self-preservation of the human race, the prohibition stockpiling fruit and leaving it to spoil, the duty of charity, of working the land and of leaving property to children. In third place, the paper will consider whether this plurality of formulations withstands the critique which Locke himself makes of the idea of substance as a nominal essence, that is, as a vague and imperfect generic definition that lacks the simple ideas that would sustain it. Finally, this internal critique of the Lockean concept of the law of nature will be distinguished from the external critique made by other interpreters in terms of inconsistency.Fil: Chumbita y Gamba, Joan Severo. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin