Joseph Butler was an English cleric and philosopher born in Wantage, Oxfordshire in 1692. He is best known for his work Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed (1736) which sparked philosophical discussions about the nature of religious truth. He also wrote several other works including Fifteen Sermons Preached at the Rolls Chapel (1726) and The Character of a Bishop (1750).
Butler’s Analogy of Religion is considered to be one of the most influential works on religion to come out of the 18th century. In it, he argues that we have moral obligations based upon religious truths that are revealed to us through our conscience as well as through divine revelation. He further contends that these moral obligations should be obeyed even when they conflict with our own personal desires or interests.
His work was extremely influential among Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Immanuel Kant who used Butler’s writings to resoundingly reject ideas such as determinism and deism. His concepts are still discussed today in both philosophy and theology circles around the world.
Joseph Butler was a masterful thinker who helped shape 18th century thinking on morality, religion, truth, and ethics. His legacy lives on in countless books written about him by modern scholars across multiple disciplines. His ideas continue to challenge us today, inspiring us to think deeply about our own values and beliefs in light of reason and faith.
