shaftesbury an essay on the freedom of wit and humor

Anthony Ashley Cooper, the Third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) was an English philosopher who profoundly influenced 18th century thought in Britain, France, and Germany.  As a part of an important social circle of English Freethinkers along with early deists such as John Toland, Matthew Tindal, and Anthony Collins, Shaftesbury’s work had a significant influence on French deists such as Voltaire and Rousseau.  He also corresponded with some of the most important thinkers of his day, including Locke, Leibniz, and Bayle.  Shaftesbury was most influential in the history of English language philosophy through his concept of the moral sense which heavily influenced Hutcheson, Butler, Hume, and Adam Smith; and Shaftesbury was influential in Germany through his concept of enthusiasm which recovered (intuitive) reason from mere (discursive) reasoning and influenced the Romantic idea of the creative imagination as found in German thinkers such as Lessing, Mendelssohn, Goethe, Herder, and Schiller. Although Shaftesbury was enormously influential in the 18th century, his prestige declined in the 20th century, primarily due to the rise of analytic philosophy which defined philosophy such that Shaftesbury’s work seemed more like literature or rhetoric than proper philosophy. Those trained in analytic philosophy continue to have trouble reading Shaftesbury, largely because he self-consciously rejects systematic philosophy and focuses more on rhetoric and literary persuasion than providing numbered premises.  Shaftesbury is interested as much in moral formation as he is in moral theorizing, though his work does contain some, albeit intentionally veiled, discussion of theoretical concerns. As Shaftesbury saw it, Hobbes had set the agenda of British moral philosophy (a search for the grounding of universal moral principles), and Locke had established its method (empiricism). .
’TIS esteem’d the highest Compliment which can be paid a Writer, on the occasion of some new Work he has made publick, to tell him, “That he has undoubtedly surpass’d Himself.’’ And indeed when one observes how well this Compliment is receiv’d, one wou’d imagine it to contain some wonderful Hyperbole of Praise. For according to the Strain of modern Politeness; ’tis not an ordinary Violation of Truth, which can afford a Tribute sufficient to answer any common degree of Merit. Now ’tis well known that the Gentlemen whose Merit lies towards Authorship, are unwilling to make the least abatement on the foot of this Ceremonial. One wou’d wonder therefore to find ’em so entirely satisfy’d with a Form of Praise, which in plain sense amounts to no more than a bare Affirmative, “That they have in some manner differ’d from themselves, and areShaftesbury1710: [280] become somewhat worse or better, than their common rate.” For if the vilest Writer grows viler than ordinary, or Edition: current; Page: [174] exceeds his natural pitch on either side, he is justly said to exceed, or go beyond himself. We find in the same manner, that there is no expression more generally us’d in a way of Compliment to great Men and Princes, than that plain one, which is so often verify’d, and may be safely pronounc’d for Truth, on most occasions; “That they have acted like themselves, and sutably to their own Genius and Character.” The Compliment, it must be own’d, sounds well. No one suspects it. For what Person is there who in his Imagination joins not something worthy and deserving with his true and native Self, as oft as he is refer’d to it, and made to consider, Who he is? Such is the natural Affection of all Mankind towards moral Beauty and Perfection, that they never fail in making this Presumption in behalf of themselves: “That by Nature they have something estimable and worthy in respect of.
Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »books.google.com letter concerning enthusiasm. Sensus communis; an essay on the freedom of wit and humour. Soliloquy, or Advice to an.
Monographs and Articles Works on Shaftesbury and the Enlightenment S. Grean, Shaftesbury's Philosophy of Religion and Ethics: a Study in Enthusiasm (Athens, Ohio: UP, 1967). Extensive treatment, but does not take the Shaftesbury Papers into consideration.L. E. Klein, Shaftesbury and the Culture of Politeness: Moral Discourse and Cultural Politics in Early 18th-Century England (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994). Puts Shaftesbury in his cultural-political context.L. Jaffro, Ethique de la communication et art d'écrire. Shaftesbury et les Lumières anglaises (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1998).I. Rivers, Reason, Grace, and Sentiment. A Study of the Language of Religion and Ethics in England, 1660-1780, vol. 2, Shaftesbury to Hume (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000). Pays close attention to Shaftesbury's impact on the Scottish Enlightenment. F. Crispini, L'etica dei moderni. Shaftesbury e le ragioni della virtu (Roma: Donzelli, 2000). Works on Shaftesbury and the Cambridge Platonists E. Cassirer, Shaftesbury und die Renaissance des Platonismus in England , Vorträge der Bibliothek Warburg, IX, 24 (1930-1931): 136-155. Starting point for modern studies.E. Cassirer, The Platonic Renaissance in England, trans. J. Pettegrove, (London: Nelson, 1953). Long the standard study of Shaftesbury's neoplatonism.M. Micheletti, Animal capax religionis. Da Benjamin Whichcote a Shaftesbury (Perugia: Benucci, 1984). M. B. Gill, The Religious Rationalism of Benjamin Whichcote , Journal of the History of Philosophy, 37, 2 (1999): 271-300. D. Grossklaus, Natürliche Religion und aufgeklärte Gesellschaft: Shaftesburys Verhältnis zu den Cambridge Platonists (Heidelberg: Winter Verlag, 2000). The major essay since Cassirer's. Literary Theory R. L. Brett, The Third Earl of Shaftesbury: a Study in Eighteenth-Century Literary Theory (London: Hutchinson's University Library, 1951). Useful but.
pdfFreedom and Sentiments: Wit and Humour in the Augustan Age10 PagesUploaded byEndre SzécsényiViews  connect to downloadREAD PAPERDownloadUploaded byEndre SzécsényiLoading PreviewSorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.