Books by Linda Kirk

Richard Cumberland and Natural Law representsthe first major biographical sketch of Cumberland to appear in English. Acritic and antagonist of Thomas Hobbes, a proto-Utilitarian and a man of thecloth, Richard Cumberland may be England's least recognised seventeenth centurypolymath, often overshadowed by the likes of John Bramhall and John Wallis. Hismagnum opus, De Legibus Naturae (On Natural Laws) stands in qualityamongst the greatest works of natural philosophy and ethics of his time period. Here Kirk outlines Cumberland's significant philosophicalcontributions as well as situating him in his intellectual and historicalcontext. She describes his life, his work as Bishop of Peterborough, and hispioneering contributions to natural law theory. Kirk also includes a chapter onthe various editions of Cumberland's masterwork and the praise it received fromhis contemporaries. Richard Cumberland and Natural Law remains theforemost collection of biographical information of Richard Cumberland, as wellas offering a comprehensive discussion of his theories.