History of English Thought in the Eighteenth Century 2 Volume Set

From 1876, this influential work in the history of ideas focuses on the eighteenth-century deist controversy and its effects.

In this two-volume work from 1876, Leslie Stephen (1832–1904) examines the revolution in thought that he believed had occurred in the eighteenth century due to the deist controversy. Volume 1 discusses the deist debate, and Volume 2 focuses on its effects on literature, moral philosophy and political philosophy.Leslie Stephen (1832–1904) was a writer, philosopher and literary critic whose work was published widely in the nineteenth century. As a young man Stephen was ordained deacon, but he later became agnostic and much of his work reflects his interest in challenging popular religion. This two-volume work, first published in 1876, is no exception: it focuses on the eighteenth-century deist controversy and its effects, as well as the reactions to what Stephen saw as a revolution in thought. Comprehensive and full of detailed analysis, this is an important work in the history of ideas. Volume 1 contains a thorough discussion of the arguments for and against deism, and of the state of theology at the end of the century. Volume 2 focuses on eighteenth-century moral philosophy, political philosophy, literature, and on the literary and religious reactions to the revolution in thought. It also discusses utilitarianism in depth.