Characteristicks

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Characteristicks, of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times &c

by Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury

Precise edition unknown.

Author Biography

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury

Born Feb. 26, 1671, in London, England; Died Feb. 15, 1713, in Chiaia, Italy. [1]

The firstborn son to the 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury of the same name, Cooper was a pupil of John Locke’s in the early 1670s, a decade later embarked on a tour of continental Europe, touring France and the Low Countries.[2] Cooper also spent a year in Italy during the trip, and was forced to return to England through Central Europe rather than the quicker route through France due to hostilities between that country and England following the expulsion of James II in 1688.[3]

Once he returned to England, he began a 3-year stint in the House of Commons from 1695-1698.[4] Though his career there was largely uneventful, it is noteworthy for his support of the Treason Bill, which provided legal counsel for those accused of the crime.[5] When Cooper rose to speak in favor of the bill, he either feigned fright at speaking to the assembly or was actually frightened, and had to take a moment to compose himself in from of the body.[6] Once ready, he then spoke of the need for the accused to have counsel in front of the judges trying their case, because he, innocent and un-accused of Treason, as well as a Member of Parliament, was still placed in a state of fright when compelled to speak before their authority.[7] The bill passed in no small part due to this rhetorical flourish. Afterwards, he refused to stand for the House of Commons again, and instead stepped down as the body dissolved. A year later, in 1699, his father, the 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury, died, and Cooper gained his seat in the House of Lords, where he served actively until William III’s death in 1702, and in a more passive role thereafter.[8]

Cooper was single most of his life, which gave rise to questions regarding his sexuality that his own writings do not dispel.[9] He did, however, recognize his duty to his family to further his line, as evidenced by a letter to his brother, Maurice, in 1705.[10] In 1709, he married a Jane Ewer, and by 1711 she bore him a son, who would become Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury.[11] In the middle of 1711 he left England for good, and late that year established a residence in Chiaia, Italy. He lived there until his death in 1713.[12] His remains were returned to England and interred in Wimborne St. Giles.[13]

Manuscript

The work itself is a collection of Cooper's more influential essays. [14]

The First Edition was published in 1711 while Cooper still lived, and the revised Second Edition was released in 1714, over a year after his death.[15] Over the next 60 years, nine more editions surfaced in England.[16] The work itself was intended to serve as a guide to the reader on how to live a morally sound life, and covers a myriad of topics, from masculinity to the arts.[17] Containing nearly a quarter-million words, the manuscript itself is often split into three volumes.[18] The work is notable for both its novel approach in addressing moralistic thinking and its influence on future philosophers. Cooper's work was one of the first of its kind to explore moral principles divorced from the typical Christian framework that often accompanied it.[19] Instead, Cooper framed his justification for moral principles based on natural propensities for affection between individuals.[20] The work itself influenced many prominent philosophers of later generations, including David Hume and, to a lesser extent, Immanuel Kant.[21]


References

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  9. [9]
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  11. [11]
  12. [12]
  13. [13]
  14. [14]
  15. [15]
  16. [16]
  17. [17]
  18. [18]
  19. [19]
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  21. [21]