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person1609-1683

Benjamin Whichcote

Disciplines:
theology
ethics

Summary

English theologian and founding figure of Cambridge Platonism, known primarily through his sermons and aphorisms emphasizing the harmony of reason and faith.

Core Contribution

The candle of the Lord is the spirit of man: human reason is a divine spark enabling us to know moral and religious truth; against Calvinist claims that reason is fallen and useless in religious matters.

Notable Works & Achievements

Select Sermons

Moral and Religious Aphorisms

Historical Influences

Plato Erasmus

Intellectual Lineage

Cambridge Platonism Anglican Theology

Contemporaries & Peers

Ralph Cudworth Henry More John Smith

Minds Influenced

Ralph Cudworth Henry More Damaris Masham

Intellectual Posterity

Cambridge Platonism

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