Richard Cumberland Quotes
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. The quotes below are attributed to Richard Cumberland, organized by topic.
Richard Cumberland on Love
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“Benevolence to the whole is the law of human nature.”
Richard Cumberland on Nature
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“Hobbes mistakes the disorder of fallen nature for nature itself.”
Richard Cumberland on Truth
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Attributed to Richard Cumberland:
“Reason discovers the laws of nature; it does not invent them.”
Richard Cumberland on Virtue
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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.”