Richard Cumberland:Moral Realism

A detailed Summary of Richard Cumberland:Moral Realism

Moral realism is described as the belief that morale is not dictated by society's acceptance at a given point in history. It is actually the belief that good morals have an absolute right and wrong to them. This is the belief that in this universe they is a standard set for all and even when we, as humans, fall short, the standard is still there. One person who believed this was the seventh-century thinker by the name of Richard Cumberland. He discussed these matters in his 1672 published work, De Legibus Naturae, or The Laws of Nature. In the work the law of nature is defined as "propositions of unchangeable Truth, which direct our voluntary Actions about choosing Good and Evil; and impose an Obligation to external actins even without civil Laws, and laying aside all Considerations of those compacts which constitute civil government." (IEP, 2001) In layman's terms the law of nature, as far as morals go, is not relative or subject to change with society because we possess an undeniable instinct that tells us when we are doing something evil, or immo

In this work he, in detail discusses "eternal and immutable principles regulative of voluntary action." (Ferm, 1956) Cumberland believes that morals are based on the "evidence of sense and experience." (Edwards, 1967) In other words, "Experience reveals to us that the parts of a whole secure their own welfare only when they work for the good of the whole to which they belong." (Edwards, 1967) Cumberland came to this conclusion though is experiences in the medical field, using bodily organs as his example. He argues that even though the parts are separate, they work most effectively when trying to secure and maintain the health of the whole body.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 710
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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