Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. IV, 1950 Philosophy Philosophers

Cumberland, Richard

Italian original Cite

Also known as: Bishop Cumberland

CUMBERLAND, RICHARD. - English philosopher, b. in London on 15 July 1631, d. there on 9 Oct. 1718. C., an Anglican bishop of Peterborough, is known for the struggle he waged against the egoistic materialism of Hobbes.

To the Hobbesian theory of the primordial struggle (homo homini lupus) he opposes, in the treatise De legibus naturae (London 1672), an optimistic conception, elaborating the concept of a fundamental lex naturae which he fixes in the benevolentia universalis. On this concept he bases a systematization of the social and historical world inspired by finalism, although in the philosophy of nature he follows Cartesian mechanism, and he anticipates the Enlightenment view of social life.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: F. E. Spaulding, R. C. als Begründer der englischen Ethik, Leipzig 1893; F. C. Sharp The ethical system of R. C., offprint from Mind, 21 (1912).

Giovanni di Napoli

About this entry

By Giovanni di Napoli

How we know signed in print

Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. IV (1950), col. 1052.

More by Giovanni di Napoli: Crusius, Christian August · Cordemoy, Géraud de · Colecchi, Ottavio · Campanella, Tommaso · Galluppi, Pasquale

Cite this article

Chicago

Di, Napoli Giovanni. “Cumberland, richard.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. IV, col. 1052. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950. https://azioneromana.com/article/cumberland-richard.

MLA

Di, Napoli Giovanni. “Cumberland, richard.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. IV, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950, col. 1052. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/cumberland-richard.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec4_cumberland_richard,
  author    = {Di, Napoli Giovanni},
  title     = {Cumberland, richard},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {IV},
  pages     = {1052},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1950},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/cumberland-richard}
}

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.