Abstract
This chapter argues that Ralph Cudworth should be recognised as formative for Richard Price’s political philosophy. Cudworth’s ethics of eternal and immutable morality, dualistic account of human intellect, idea of deiform reason—and his consequent theology of conscience—together with his participatory account of commonwealth, gives significant shape to Price’s conception of political will, equality and democracy. A consideration of the impact of Cudworth’s philosophy on Price’s political thought results in a difficulty for the attempt to dichotomise the enlightenment into sharply distinct radical and moderate movements. A commitment to eternal and immutable reality is shared with the more moderate Burke while Price’s own anti-materialist, dualistic and theologically motivated radicalism marks a significant departure from some of his most important Dissenting contemporaries, including Joseph Priestley.
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Notes
- 1.
Price is clearly indebted to Samuel Clarke too but see Smith (2011, 1–18) for an argument that Clarke’s account of the immutability of truth is in outline from the Cambridge Platonists, particularly Cudworth.
- 2.
- 3.
Fitzpatrick (2012, 42–72) makes a similar argument with regard to candour and toleration. The scope of his paper does not include Price’s influences, however. Hickman (2017) discusses the distinctions Israel draws in further detail but the subject of this book is primarily the philosophy of religion.
- 4.
- 5.
In the mid-twentieth century it was popular to interpret Burke as either a Thomist or a utilitarian, see e.g. Insole (2012); Stanlis (1991). Pocock (1971) argued against the attempt to identify a systematic political philosophy in Burke’s writings and his approach has since dominated. Insole disputes that natural law theology had no influence on Burke and his reading adds weight to Peter J. Stanlis’ interpretation. This article follows their argument that a commitment to the eternal law of the nature of things is a fundamental component of Burke’s philosophy.
- 6.
Burke scholars have tended to continue making this mistake see e.g. Stanlis (1991, 222).
- 7.
For an in depth analysis of Price’s Platonic theology of participation see Hickman (2008) esp. 3–5.
- 8.
This article utilises Carter’s account of Cudworth. He gives a valuable and convincing argument for seeing Cudworth as politically engaged and his monograph is the fullest treatment of Cudworth’s political theology. He challenges the older perception of Cudworth and his fellow Cambridge-based Latitudinarian divines as primarily mystical rather than political; see particularly Tulloch (1872) and Powicke (1926). The political elements of Cudworth’s thought have been noted by Cragg (1968), Rogers (1997) and Hutton, (2011, 161–82).
- 9.
For Burke see Insole (2008, esp. 463–4).
- 10.
Josiah Tucker (1781) is the first person to argue that Price derives his politics from Locke. It was popular until the mid-twentieth century to assume that modern liberalism originated from Locke and studies on Price’s work have tended to see his principle of liberty as Lockean, see esp. Thomas (1977, esp. 188) and Cone (1952, 33). Kramnick (1968) and Pocock (1975) were early and important challengers of the assumption that there is a direct line between Locke and eighteenth century radicalism. Following the work of John Dunn (1969) and HT Dickinson (1977), Locke’s importance has been reaffirmed. Hickman, (2011) argues instead for a Platonic strand in Price’s account of liberty. This discussion points out that few monographs dedicated to Price have considered his politics in detail. The most notable, Labouchiex, (1982) is more concerned with reception and does not consider Price’s influences.
- 11.
Price also associates Henry More with the doctrine (1990, 49n).
- 12.
For more on Price and Cudworth on plastic nature see Hickman (2017, ch. 4, esp. 106–7).
- 13.
It is difficult to know for sure if Burke learned the doctrine of plastic nature directly from the Cambridge Platonists especially given that the idea had popular currency in the late eighteenth century. We know from Price’s writing that it was associated with them and it is reasonable to suppose that Burke was familiar with Cudworth’s work. The True Intellectual System of 1743 was in Burke’s library (item no. 138) and Burke also criticised Bolingbroke who was considerably unfavourable towards Cudworth’s Treatise. McLoughlin and Boulton suggest Cudworth may have introduced Burke to Plotinus (Burke 1997, 241).
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Hickman, L. (2019). Mixing Politics with the Pulpit: Eternal Immutable Morality and Richard Price’s Political Radicalism. In: Hedley, D., Leech, D. (eds) Revisioning Cambridge Platonism: Sources and Legacy. International Archives of the History of Ideas Archives internationales d'histoire des idées, vol 222. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22200-0_10
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