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The Cambridge Platonists were reacting to two pressures. On the one hand, the narrow dogmatism of the Puritan divines, with their anti-rationalist (if not anti-intellectual) demands, were, they felt, immoral and incorrect. They also felt that the Puritan/ Calvinist insistence upon individual revelation left God uninvolved with the majority of mankind. At the same time, they were reacting against the narrowly materialist writings of René Descartes and Thomas Hobbes. They felt that the latter, while properly rationalist, were denying the idealistic nature of the universe. To the Cambridge Platonists, religion and reason were always in harmony, and reality was comprised not of sensation, but of "intelligible forms" that exist behind perception. The universal, ideal forms (a la Plato) inform matter, and the senses are unreliable guides to reality.

As divines and in matters of polity, the Cambridge Platonists argued for moderation. They believed that reason is the proper judge of all disagreements, and so they advocated dialogue between the Puritans and the High Churchmen. They had a somewhat mystical understanding of reason, believing that reason is not merely the sense-making facility of the mind, but, instead, "the candle of the Lord" -- an echo of the divine within the human soul and an imprint of God within man. Thus, they believed that reason could lead beyond the sensory because it is semi-divine. Reason was capable, for them, of nearing God because it was of God. Therefore, they believed that reason would allow for the judging of the private revelations of Puritan theology and the proper investigation of the rituals and liturgy of the Established ChurchIn English history, the Established Church is the Church of England, the church which is established by the Government, supported by it, and of which the monarch is the titular head. The Church of Scotland at one time held an analgous position with regard. For this reason, they were called latitudinarianLatitudinarian was initially a pejorative term applied to a group of 17th century British theologians who believed in conforming to official Church of England practices but who felt that matters of doctrine, liturgical practice, and ecclesiastical organizs.

Works of the Cambridge Platonists

• Cudworth's chief philosophical work was The True Intellectual System of the Universe ( 1678Events August 10 Peace of Nijmegen ends war between France and Netherlands September 6 Titus Oates begins to present allegations of the " Popish Plot", a Catholic conspiracy to assassinate king Charles II of England October 17 British politician Sir Edmun) and the Treatise concerning Eternal and Immutable Morality, which appeared posthumously in 1731Events 10 Downing Street becomes the official residence of the United Kingdom's Prime Minister when Robert Walpole moves in. Births May 8 Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London, abolitionist (died 1809) June 21 Martha Washington October 10 Henry Cavendish, Engl.
• Culverwel's (? - 1652?) chief work was Light of Nature ( 1652). Culverwel died young (probably at the age of 32). He had intended to write a multi-part work reconciling the GospelFor the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. Gospels are a genre of ancient literature concerning the life of Jesus. The word derives from the Old English word for " Good News", a translation of the Greek word , euangelion''. This refers to with philosophical reason.
• Henry More ( 1614Events April 5 In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe. October 11 Adriaen Block and a group of Amsterdam merchants petition the States General for exclusive trading rights in the area he explored and named " New Nether - 1687Events March 19 The men under explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle murder him while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. July 5 Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica is published. December 31 The first Huguenots set sail) wrote many works. As a Platonist, his important works were Manual of Ethics ( 1666), the Divine Dialogues ( 1668), and the Manual of Metaphysics ( 1671). While all of More's works enjoyed popularity, the Divine Dialogues were perhaps most influential.
• John Smith, a student of Benjamin Whichcote, left no literary remains but was active in the discursive works of the other Platonists.
• Benjamin Whichcote ( 1609 - 1683) was one of the leaders of the movement, but he was also an active pastor and academic who did not publish in his lifetime. His sermons were notable and caused controversies, and Whichcote wrote a great deal without publishing. In 1685, Some Select Notions of B. Whichcote was published due to demand. After that was Select Sermons ( 1689) (with a preface by Shaftesbury) and Several Discourses ( 1701). Finally, a collection of his sayings appeared as Moral and Religious Aphorisms in 1703.