Anthony Ashley Cooper

Anthony Ashley Cooper (1671-1713), Earl of Shaftesbury, the grandson of Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683), the first Earl of Shaftesbury, was an English philosopher, born in London. He was an ardent student in his youth, made the grand tour, and entered Parliament in 1694, moving to the Upper House on the death of his father in 1699, where, as a staunch Whig, he gave steady support to William III. He withdrew from politics, never a congenial sphere to him, on the accession of Anne, and followed his bent for literature and philosophy. In 1711, his collected writings appeared under the title "Characteristics," in which he expounds, in the polite style of the 18th century, with much ingenuity and at times force, a somewhat uncritical optimism, enunciating, among other things, the doubtful maxim that ridicule is the test of truth.

Nearby pages
Anthony Ashley Cooper the statesman, Anthony Blunt, Anthony Clement McAuliffe, Anthony Collins, Anthony Heinsius