The Religion of Nature Delineated
William Wollaston’s most influential work sets out an unusual foundation for morality: that right and wrong come down to truth and falsehood. To act wrongly, he argues, is to behave as if something were the case when it is not, so that every immoral act amounts to a lie told through conduct. From this single principle he builds an account of duty, happiness, reason, and the existence and attributes of God, all grounded in what he calls the religion of nature rather than revelation. Privately printed in 1722, the book became a bestseller of the English Enlightenment and drew replies from thinkers across the century, including a young Benjamin Franklin. This free PDF and EPUB edition returns a once famous work of moral philosophy to modern readers.
