Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times
Quick Summary
Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times is a collection of works by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, first published in 1711. This philosophical text posits that humans are born with an innate moral sense, countering the idea that self-interest is the sole natural human passion. Shaftesbury argued that feelings like benevolence and sympathy exist alongside selfishness, creating a natural harmony between virtue and self-interest.12
His philosophy, influenced by the Cambridge Platonists, emphasized a natural moral sense and rejected the notion of a purely self-interested state of nature. The work's idealistic and benevolent tone, though aristocratic, was influential, contributing to the spread of English Deism across Europe. Shaftesbury's ideas were debated by contemporaries like Bernard de Mandeville, who presented a more critical view of human nature and society.13
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