Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Library Collection - Philosophy

Critic, poet and philosopher Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829) was a leading figure of German Romanticism. Reissued here is the 1847 English translation of two lecture cycles: 'Philosophie des Lebens', concerned with humankind's 'inner spiritual life', and 'Philosophie des Sprache und des Wortes', considering the nature of communication.

Published posthumously in 1755, this two-volume set offers the most comprehensive account of the moral and political philosophy of Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746), often described as the father of the Scottish Enlightenment. The volumes examine whether and how individual natural rights derive from an innate understanding of moral behaviour.

The Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874) pioneered social statistics, characterising the 'average man' by the mean values of measured variables. Published in English in 1842, this is his most influential work, setting out his 'analysis of normal man through his actions and of intellectual man through his productions'.

The philosopher and physician David Hartley (1705-57) published this, his most significant work, in two volumes in 1749. It is an analysis of human nature, blending philosophy, psychology and theology, and it influenced scientists, theologians, social reformers and poets, notably Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Published in 1785, and one of the most influential texts of the British Enlightenment, this work remained on the Cambridge syllabus into the twentieth century. Owing to his lucid style, and his ability to make complex philosophical ideas accessible to a wide readership, Paley's writings enjoyed significant popularity.