The Principles of Moral and Christian Philosophy

497 Pages·2005·2.794 MB·English

by  George Turnbull

the principles of moral
and christian philosophy
volume 2
Christian Philosophy
natural law and
enlightenment classics
KnudHaakonssen
GeneralEditor
MapofAberdeen

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
i i
i i
i i
i natural law and i
i enlightenment classics i
i i
i i
i i
i i
i The Principles of i
i i
i Moral and i
i i
i Christian Philosophy i
i i
i volume 2 i
i i
i i
Christian Philosophy
i i
i i
George Turnbull
i i
i i
i i
i i
i Edited and with an Introductionby i
i Alexander Broadie i
i i
i Philosophical Works and Correspondence i
i i
of George Turnbull
i i
i i
i i
i i
i i
i liberty fund i
i i
Indianapolis
i i
i i
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
ThisbookispublishedbyLibertyFund,Inc.,afoundationestablishedto
encouragestudyoftheidealofasocietyoffreeandresponsibleindividuals.
Thecuneiforminscriptionthatservesasourlogoandasthedesignmotif
forourendpapersistheearliest-knownwrittenappearanceoftheword
“freedom”(amagi),or“liberty.”Itistakenfromaclaydocumentwritten
about2300b.c.intheSumeriancity-stateof Lagash.
Introduction,annotations(cid:1)2005LibertyFund,Inc.
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesof America
09 08 07 06 05 c 5 4 3 2 1
09 08 07 06 05 p 5 4 3 2 1
CoverartandfrontispiecearetheAberdeendetailof theWilliamRoyMap,
createdfrom1747to1755,andareusedbypermissionof theBritishLibrary
(ShelfmarkMapsC.9.b.21sheet1⁄2).
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Turnbull,George,1698–1748.
TheprinciplesofmoralandChristianphilosophy:
philosophicalworksandcorrespondenceofGeorgeTurnbull
editedandwithanintroductionbyAlexanderBroadie.
p. cm.—(Naturallawandenlightenmentclassics)
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
Contents:v.1.Theprinciplesofmoralphilosophy.
isbn0-86597-455-1(alk.paper) isbn0-86597-458-6(pbk.:alk.paper)
isbn0-86597-454-3(set:alk.paper) isbn0-86597-457-8(set:pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Ethics—Earlyworksto1800.
2. Christianethics—Anglicanauthors—Earlyworksto1800.
3. Naturallaw—Religiousaspects—ChurchofEngland—Earlyworksto1800.
4. Christianity—Philosophy—Earlyworksto1800.
I. Broadie,Alexander. II. Title. III. Series.
bj1012.t82 2005
241(cid:2).043—dc22 2004057633
isbn0-86597-456-x(v.2:hc) isbn0-86597-459-4(v.2:sc)
liberty fund, inc.
8335AllisonPointeTrail,Suite300
Indianapolis,Indiana46250-1684
contents
Introduction ix
ChristianPhilosophy 465
BibliographyofWorksCited 915
Index 921

introduction
George Turnbull’s Christian Philosophy, volume 2 of his Principles of
Moral and Christian Philosophy, was undoubtedly written by a devout
Christian, though whether Turnbull throughout his life endorsed the
kindof Christianitytobefoundinvolume2isdoubtful.
ItisreasonabletosupposethathedidatleastbeginasaCalvinist,for
thatwasthekindof religionhewouldhavelearnedfromhisfather,the
Church of Scotland minister GeorgeTurnbullsenior,whowasminis-
teringtotheChurchof Scotlandparishof AlloaintheScottishcounty
of ClackmannanshirewhenGeorgejuniorwasborn.1Wedonotknow
whatsortof CalvinistGeorgeTurnbullseniorwas(forScottishCalvin-
ism covers a broad spectrum of belief), but if George Turnbull the
younger began as a Calvinist of the more robust sort, he must have
startedtomoveawayfromthispositionwhenstillquiteyoung.Forin
Edinburgh in his later teens, after completing his studies for the arts
degree (M.A.), he joined the newly founded Rankenian Club, whose
ideological bias toward Lord Shaftesbury did not sit comfortablywith
Calvinism(thoughitcouldbemadetositmoreorlessuncomfortably
withit).In1718Turnbulltried(undertheassumednamePhilocles)to
start a correspondence with the Irish freethinker John Toland (1670–
1722),whoseespousalof aformof Spinozisticpantheism2(oratheism,
as many judged it to be) made any hint of agreement with Toland a
potentiallyriskyenterpriseforayouthwantingtomakehiswayinthe
1.HemovedtotakechargeoftheparishofTyninghameinEastLothianoneyear
later.
2. See Jonathan I. Israel, Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and theMakingof
Modernity1650–1750(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2001),609–14.
ix