Richard Cumberland 1631 – 1718
Richard Cumberland (1631 – 1718) was an English philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Empiricism and Early Modern Philosophy.
Richard Cumberland was an English moral and political philosopher, mathematician, and from 1691 Anglican bishop of Peterborough. His major philosophical work, De Legibus Naturae, published in 1672, was the most thorough early reply to Thomas Hobbes from a Christian natural-law standpoint. He argued that benevolence to the whole rational system is the fundamental natural law, that the moral law is grounded in the eternal nature of things rather than in arbitrary divine command, and that human beings are by nature social. His careful reasoning shaped Locke, Hutcheson, and the wider eighteenth-century Anglo-Scottish tradition of moral philosophy.
Key facts
- Nationality
- English
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Empiricism, Early Modern Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“Benevolence to the whole is the law of human nature.”
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“Hobbes mistakes the disorder of fallen nature for nature itself.”
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“Reason discovers the laws of nature; it does not invent them.”
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“The good of the whole society is the rational object of moral action.”
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“The moral law binds because it conforms to the eternal nature of things.”
Frequently asked about Richard Cumberland
- When did Richard Cumberland live?
- Richard Cumberland was born in 1631 and died in 1718.
- Where was Richard Cumberland from?
- Richard Cumberland was an English philosopher of the Modern era.
- What philosophical movements is Richard Cumberland associated with?
- Richard Cumberland was associated with Empiricism and Early Modern Philosophy.
- What was Richard Cumberland known for?
- Richard Cumberland was an English moral and political philosopher, mathematician, and from 1691 Anglican bishop of Peterborough.
- How many quotes are attributed to Richard Cumberland?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Richard Cumberland in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.