Joseph Butler
Joseph Butler Era 18th-century philosophy Region Western Philosophy School British Empiricism, Christian philosophy Influences Plato, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Francis Hutcheson Influenced Adam Smith, David Hume, Thomas Reid, William Paley, Jeremy Bentham, David Seabury, C. S. Lewis, John Warwick Montgomery Ordination history of Joseph Butler Diaconal ordination Ordained by William Talbot, Bishop of Salisbury Date of ordination 26 October 1718 Place of ordination The Chapel, Bishop's Palace, Salisbury Priestly ordination Ordained by William Talbot, Bishop of Salisbury Date of ordination 21 December 1718 Place of ordination St James's Church, Piccadilly Episcopal consecration Date of consecration 3 December 1738 Place of consecration The Chapel, Lambeth Palace, Surrey Source(s): Joseph Butler (18 May 1692 – 16 June 1752) was an English bishop, theologian, apologist, and philosopher. He was born in Wantage in the English county of Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). He is known, among other things, for his critique of Thomas Hobbes's egoism and John Locke's theory of personal identity. During his life and after his death, Butler influenced many philosophers, including David Hume, Thomas Reid, and Adam Smith.