Joseph Butler 1692 – 1752
Joseph Butler was an English Anglican bishop and one of the most important moral philosophers of the eighteenth century. His Fifteen Sermons preached at the Rolls Chapel developed a powerful account of human nature, in which self-love, particular passions, and conscience are arranged as a hierarchy whose proper exercise constitutes the virtuous life. The Analogy of Religion defended natural and revealed religion against deist objections by arguing that the same difficulties beset both natural knowledge and natural theology. His thought shaped Hume, Kant, Sidgwick, and the broader history of British moral philosophy.
Key facts
- Nationality
- English
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Enlightenment, Christian
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Joseph Butler:
“Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we desire to be deceived?”
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Attributed to Joseph Butler:
“Probability is the very guide of life.”
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Attributed to Joseph Butler:
“Every man is already in possession of conscience, the supreme principle within him.”
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Attributed to Joseph Butler:
“Self-love and benevolence are not at odds.”
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Attributed to Joseph Butler:
“Conscience is the supreme principle of human nature.”