A Treatise Concerning Eternal and Immutable Morality

A Treatise Concerning Eternal and Immutable Morality is a work by Ralph Cudworth, an English theologian and philosopher associated with Cambridge Platonism. Published posthumously in 1731, it is considered a summary of the second part of his larger, unpublished work, The True Intellectual System of the Universe.1

In this treatise, Cudworth argues against the idea that morality is solely based on divine will or civil obedience. He posits that moral truths are inherent and unchanging, existing independently of human will or law. Cudworth contended that "Things are what they are, not by Will but by Nature," emphasizing the rational and intrinsic nature of good and evil. His ethical system highlights the importance of reason, spontaneity, and public spirit in living a good life. This work was directed against Puritan Calvinism, Cartesian notions of divine omnipotence in ethics, and Hobbes's view of morality as civil obedience.1