Richard Cumberland

1632–1718

Nationality: English

Historical Period: The Early Modern Period

Richard Cumberland (1632-1718) is perhaps one of the unsung heroes of the natural law tradition. He was a liberal Anglican theologian and bishop, a philosopher, and a student of science and medicine, who lived through both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Cumberland was drawn to the use of natural law and natural rights theories as a means of combating religious conflict during the Restoration period.

• Author: A Treatise of the Laws of Nature