Richard Cumberland, English philosopher (d. 1718)
Richard Cumberland (15 July 1631 (or 1632) – 9 October 1718) was an English philosopher, and Bishop of Peterborough from 1691. In 1672, he published his major work, De legibus naturae (On natural laws), propounding utilitarianism and opposing the egoistic ethics of Thomas Hobbes.
Cumberland was a member of the Latitudinarian movement, along with his friend Hezekiah Burton of Magdalene College, Cambridge and closely allied with the Cambridge Platonists, a group of ecclesiastical philosophers centred on Cambridge University in the mid 17th century.
1631Jul, 15
Richard Cumberland (philosopher)
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Events on 1631
- 25Feb
Cardinal Richelieu
François de Bassompierre, a French courtier, is arrested on Richelieu's orders. - 18May
John Winthrop
In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts. - 20May
Sack of Magdeburg
The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years' War. - 17Jun
Taj Mahal
Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. - 20Jun
Baltimore, County Cork
The sack of Baltimore: The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.