BUTLER, JOSEPH (1692-1752). An English theologian, born at Wantage, in Berkshire. With a view to the ministry of the Presby terian Church, he attended a Dissenting acad emy at Tewkesbury. in Gloucestershire. At the age of 22 he gave proof of high meta physical ability in a letter to Dr. Samuel Clarke, usually appended to that celebrated writer's a priori demonstration. to which it offers some objections. About this time he made up his mind to join the Church of Eng land, and in March, 1714, entered Oriel College, Oxford. In 1718 he graduated. took orders, and was appointed preacher at the Rolls Chapel, where he preached those remarkable sermons which he published in 1726. The first three, "On Human Nature," constitute very important contributions to moral science. Against hedon ism (q.v.) he urges that before one can find pleasure in an object one must have a disin terested desire for the object. Hence. disin terested benevolence is possible. Indeed, it is one among many impulses of human nature, which is a system of impulses, each having its own right. Butler sometimes represents con science as the supreme regulative principle, con trolling all the other impulses; sometimes rea sonable self-love and benevolence are coordinate and harmonious supreme principles; sometimes to self-love is attributed the final word in the (for him impossible) case of a conflict between self-love and benevolence. Just what conscience is for Butler it is bard to ascertain. In 1725 Butler was presented to the rich benefice of Stanhope in the county of Durham, to which he removed in the following year. Here he resided in great retirement till 1733. Thomas Seeker, afterwards archbishop. desired to see him pro moted to some more important position. and mentioned his name once to Queen Caroline. The Queen thought he had been dead, and asked Archbishop Blackburne if it were not so. madam," said the Archbishop, "but he is buried." In 1733 Butler became chaplain to his friend, Lord Chancellor Talbot, and some time afterwards a prebendary of Rochester.
In 1736 he published The Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed, to the Constitution and Course of Nature. Although the argument is ingenious, and for a century and a half has been praised in the highest terms, it cannot be said to have any logical value. The leading aim of the Analogy is to show that all the ob jections to revealed religion are equally ap plicable to the whole constitution of nature, and that the general analogy between the prin ciples of divine government. as revealed in the Scriptures, and those manifested in the course of nature, warrants the conclusion that they have one Author. Soon after the publication of this work, Butler was appointed Clerk of the Closet to the Queen, who greatly prized his con versation. In 1738 he was made Bishop of Bris tol; in 1740, Dean of Saint Paul's; and in 1750 he was translated to the see of Durham. He lived to make but one visitation of his diocese. His 'charge' on ,the occasion, in which he em phasized the importance of a due maintenance of the externals of religion, subjected him to much censure as betraying a tendency to Roman Catholicism. In character Butler was grave and judicious, meek and generous. His inter course with his clergy and people was frank and humane, and his episcopal treasures were wisely and munificently distributed. His works, with a Life by Kippis and notes by Halifax, were collected and published at Edinburgh (1804) and reprinted at Oxford (1807) : a sumptuous edition, with `studies.' was published by \V. E. Gladstone in 1896. There are good separate editions of the Analogy and of the Three Sermons. Consult: Collins, Butler (Lon don, 1889); Leferre. "Significance of Butler's View of Ihnnan Nature," in Philosophical Re view for 1899.