The Elements of Moral Philosophy, with A Brief Account of the Nature, Progress, and Origin of Philosophy

by David Fordyce, Thomas D. Kennedy (Editor)

Though little known today, David Fordyce was an important figure in the Scottish Enlightenment and closely associated with liberal Dissenters in England. His Elements of Moral Philosophy was a notable contribution to the curriculum in moral philosophy and one of the most widely circulated texts in moral philosophy in the second half of the eighteenth century. Thomas D. Kennedy is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Valparaiso University.

Genres: Philosophy

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1748

About the author

David Fordyce (1711 - 1751) was a Scottish philosopher, and a contributor to the Scottish Enlightenment.

Fordyce was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen (MA, 1728). He entered the ministry and returned to Marischal as regent in 1742, teaching Moral Philosophy there until 1751, when he died by drowning at sea. His popular Elements of Moral Philosophy was first published in Robert Dodsley's Preceptor, vol. 2 (1748).