Treatise of the Laws of Nature

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A Treatise of the Laws of Nature, originally titled De Legibus Naturae, first appeared in 1672 as a response to various issues of the late 1660s. It expressed the belief that science could effectively demonstrate both the content and obligatory force of natural law. At a time when Hobbes's work suggested that science undermined the concept of obligatory natural law, Cumberland's treatise offered a scientific explanation for the natural necessity of altruism. By arguing for a moral obligation to natural law, Cumberland made a significant contribution to the early debates surrounding natural jurisprudence, a field then viewed with suspicion regarding its coherence and orthodoxy. Liberty Fund publishes the first modern edition, based on John Maxwell's 1727 English translation, which includes Maxwell's extensive notes and appendices. This edition also features, for the first time in English, Cumberland's manuscript additions and material from Barbeyrac's 1744 French edition and John Towers's 1750 edition. Richard Cumberland (1632-1718) served as bishop of Peterborough. Jon Parkin is a Lecturer in Politics at the University of York, and Knud Haakonssen is a Professor of Intellectual History and Director of the Centre for Intellectual History at the University of Sussex.