Catharine Trotter Cockburn

                                      Catharine Trotter Cockburn

Introduction

Catherine Trotter Cockburn was born on August 16, 1679.Cockburns’ desire for philosophy began when she took interest in philosophical issues that centered on religion. Cockburn's philosophical reputation largely rest upon her critical works in defense of John Locke and Samuel Clarke during her early twenties. While she displays a range of interests in these works, her main concern is to defend a moral epistemology that combines components of Locke's epistemology with a proto-Clarke a moral fitness theory. Cockburn's morality can best be described as broadly rationalistic natural law theory that strongly reflects on Locke's concept. Cockburn theorizes we discover the foundations for moral rules through reflection upon human nature and divine nature. Humans are then able to determine moral right and wrong by assessing the fitness or unfitness of given acts with reference to these natures. 

Catharine Trotter was born in London on August 16, 1679. As a child, she taught herself to write, became proficient in French. Cockburn also studied Latin grammar and logic. In addition, she devoted time to writing plays. In 1695, Cockburn's first play “Agnes de Castro” was staged, and was published the following year. In 1698, her second play, “Fatal Friendship”, was staged and printed. Both plays were very well received and she enjoyed some celebrity in theatrical circles. Cockburn wrote three more plays over the next three years. One in 1700, 1701, and 1706.Catharine began building her reputation with her playwriting. In 1708 Catharine married a clergyman named Cockburn. Thus making her new name Catharine Trotter Cockburn.

After Cockburn’s success with playwriting she began studying Locke’s work. One of her very first studies was on Locke’s “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”. Cockburn was so very impressed with his ideas that she felt obligated to write in defense of Locke against a particular critic. This critic was the posthumously-identified Thomas Burnet. Burnet began in 1697, wrote three pamphlets in criticism of Locke's Essay. Cockburn's very first philosophical work was a response to Burnet. Entitled “The Defense of Mr. Locke's Essay of Human Understanding”. Cockburn's work was published in 1702. Locke was very flattered with Cockburn’s work that he gave her gifts of money and books to show his appreciation. In 1739, Cockburn wrote her Remarks upon some Writers in the Controversy concerning the Foundation of moral Duty and moral Obligation. It was published anonymously, in 1743 in the English literary journal “The History of the Works of the Learned”. Remarks upon some Writers consider primarily the work of philosopher Samuel Clarke and various critics of his moral theory. In 1747, she published a critique on philosophy of Dr. Thomas Rutherforth, entitled “Remarks upon the Principles and Reasoning’s of Dr. Rutherforth's Essay on the Nature and Obligation of Virtue”. Ruthforth’s work was strongly critical of Samuel Clarke's moral theory. In this work, Cockburn again defends a Clarkean view of morality. Cockburn was also interested in religious issues and she wrote and published a series of theological works. Her work included, two letters, that examined Catholic and Protestant doctrine entitled “A Discourse concerning a Guide in Controversies”. This work was first published in 1707. Cockburn's work gained sufficient attention that Thomas Birch presented her with the idea of a volume of her collected works, including her correspondence. She assisted in the editing of this work, however she did not live to see its publication in 1751. She died in May of 1749.

        Cockburn’s primary concern was with moral issues, Cockburn philosophical writings (which are taken here to include The Defense of Mr. Locke's Essay of Human Understanding (hereafter referred to as the Defense), Remarks upon some Writers and Remarks upon the Principles and Reasoning’s of Dr. Rutherforth's Essay) address a range of philosophical issues. In the Defense, she answers Burnet on a series of issues regarding the deficiencies of Locke's empiricism, which include not only moral knowledge, but also the knowledge humans can have of God's veracity and of the immortality of the human soul. There is also a broad range of topics addressed in her work “Remarks upon some Writers”, in which Cockburn begins by addressing several philosophical issues — necessity, the infinitude of space, and the nature and existence of spirits with regard to the notion of substance. The later discussion revolves generally around epistemological concerns regarding the knowledge of real essences and the nature of substance, in which she argues that spirits must have extension of a sort in order to be proper substances. Cockburn made the argument by appealing to a broadly Lockean view regarding substance.