History of English Thought in the Eighteenth Century 2 Volume Set

Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) was a writer, philosopher and literary critic whose work was published widely in the nineteenth century.

As a young man Stephen was ordained deacon, but he later became agnostic and much of his work reflects his interest in challenging popular religion.

This two-volume work, first published in 1876, is no exception: it focuses on the eighteenth-century deist controversy and its effects, as well as the reactions to what Stephen saw as a revolution in thought.

Comprehensive and full of detailed analysis, this is an important work in the history of ideas.

Volume 1 contains a thorough discussion of the arguments for and against deism, and of the state of theology at the end of the century.

Volume 2 focuses on eighteenth-century moral philosophy, political philosophy, literature, and on the literary and religious reactions to the revolution in thought.

It also discusses utilitarianism in depth.