| Summary: | "The plan of this book was, I believe, suggested to me by Mr. Pattison's essay upon the 'Tendencies of Religious Thought in England from 1688 to 1750.' I thought that it might be worth while to give a more detailed and systematic account of the movement so admirably characterised in that essay. The history of the deistical controversy, which is the chief product of eighteenth-century theology, has been several times written. In order to give a satisfactory account of the deist controversy, it thus seemed necessary to describe the general theological tendencies of the time; and in order to set forth intelligibly the ideas which shaped those tendencies, it seemed desirable, again, to trace their origin in the philosophy of the time, and to show their application in other departments of speculation. I have, therefore, begun with an account of the contemporary philosophy, though, in repeating a thrice-told tale, I have endeavoured to be as brief as was compatible with my purpose. Further, I have tried to indicate the application of the principles accepted in philosophy and theology to moral and political questions, and their reflection in the imaginative literature of the time. The book, as it is, has assumed such dimensions that I have been unable to describe it satisfactorily by any other than the perhaps too ambitious title which it bears. This second volume specifically addresses the following topics: (1) moral philosophy; (2) political theories; and (3) political economy"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
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