Thus it came to be thought that when we are guided by passion our acts are not free, since they have causes, but that there is a faculty, sometimes called "reason" and sometimes "conscience," which, when we follow its guidance, gives us real freedom. Thus "true" freedom, as opposed to mere caprice, was identified with obedience to the moral law. The Hegelians took a further step, and identified the moral law with the law of the State, so that "true" freedom consisted in obeying the police. This doctrine was much liked by governments.
Source: Religion and Science, 1935, chapt. 5:
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