“The Father of Deism”: problems of research of the philosophy of Herbert of Cherbury

Abstract

This article provides a brief history of publications of the treatise of Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648) “On Truth” (written in 1624); critical response of his contemporaries; as well as comparative analysis of the “symbols of faith” of the English thinker, his contemporary Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), Henry Bolingbroke (1678-1751), Thomas Chubb (1679-1747), and the author of the “Bible of Deism” – “Christianity as Old as the Creation” Matthew Tindal (1657-1733). One may often come across a well-established in the research opinion about the role of Herbert as the “father of Deism”. However, in recent years, this topic remains undisclosed, bringing obscurity whether Herbert of Cherbury should be considered the founder of deistic philosophy. The article also conducts detailed analysis of the criticism of the religious philosophy of deism of the English thinker, and reveals which elements of this doctrine caused a controversial response among his contemporaries. The goal of this work lies in highlighting the most substantial part of the heritage of Herbert of Cherbury, which was subsequently reflected in the religious philosophy of the adherents of deism. The article is of particularly relevance for the Russian audience, as this topic was not sufficiently covered in the Russian language.