against UTILITARIANISM, and on the role of the intelli-
gentsia, as well as contributing to the major political
debates of his time.
Coleridge’s philosophy is theological. It is premised
on the idea that our access to reality and our knowl-
edge of the world are connected to and mediated
through God. The fundamental role of religion in his
thought is made clear in the Kantian distinction he
draws between reason and understanding. The latter is
the category in which he places all knowledge and
awareness based on our senses. This is the knowledge
of empirical sciences. Reason is a higher category of
knowledge containing not only the a-priori truths of
logic and mathematics, but also religious, aesthetic,
and poetic truths and ideals. In this way, Coleridge
intends to secure the epistemological and metaphysical
status of religious belief by reserving a faculty for its
apprehension and arguing for its superiority as a mode
of knowing. With these premises in place Coleridge
goes on to provide innovative accounts of the will,
self-consciousness, and the mind-body problem. Most
particularly, Coleridge brings into philosophical focus
the metaphysical and epistemological role of language
and the imagination.
Coleridge’s contribution to political philosophy and
social criticism is contained in a number of essays in
the periodicals the Watchmanand the Friends,his Lay
Sermons,and his only book on political matters, The
Constitution of the Church and State.Coleridge was also
a frequent contributor to newspapers on issues of con-
temporary importance, such as the Reform Bill of
- In On The Principles of Political Philosophy,
Coleridge argues against two systems of political jus-
tice. In the first, fear is the foundation of legitimate
authority. He rejects this Hobbesian view as “baseless”
in either history or our own experience. He also rejects
a second view in which justice is based on the calcula-
tion of what is expedient. This approach is a view
“under which the human being may be considered,
namely, as an animal gifted with understanding, or the
faculty of suiting measures to circumstances.”
Coleridge sets out his own understanding of political
justice by arguing that it must be based on the proper
application of the laws of reason rather than the fac-
ulty of understanding.
In The Constitution of the Church and State,Cole-
ridge argues toward two important conclusions: first,
that a system of land ownership and aristocracy is cru-
cial for the moral well-being of the state—he claimed
that commercialism, while important for the progress
of the state, nonetheless would undermine it without
the restraint and moral foundation provided by the
aristocracy; second, that a national church and the
establishment of a clerisy would attend to the moral
welfare and advancement of citizens. He makes a dis-
tinction between civilization and cultivation, where
the latter signifies the development of individual moral
self-understanding, and the former the material and
political progress of society. He says that first we must
become men and only then citizens. It is the task of
the clerisy and the national church to attend to and
promote the cultivation of individuals.
Coleridge’s work taken as a whole, including his
poetic work, marks him alongside BENTHAMas one of
the leading intellectual influences of 19th-century
England. He contested the prevailing empiricist frame-
work by bringing forward idealist and romantic argu-
ments and insights to the debate on human knowledge
and political justice.Further Reading
Morrow, J. Coleridge’s Political Thought.New York: Macmillan,
1990.commandments
The Ten Commandments given by God to Moses (as
described in the Bible’s book of Exodus), and form the
basis of Judeo-CHRISTIANlaw and morals. These com-
mandments form the fundamental law of the Western
world. Sometimes called the Decalogue, they include
God’s commandments against idolatry, murder, steal-
ing, adultery, coveting, and lying. They also enjoin
honoring one’s parents and respecting the Sabbath
(rest day). The West’s social laws punishing murder,
theft, perjury (lying), adultery, and regulating busi-
ness on the Lord’s day reflect these biblical command-
ments. Christians’ view that no one can completely
fulfill the requirements of the “Law” leads to God’s
grace in forgiving them through Jesus Christ taking
the punishment for our sins in his death on the cross.
Then “faith” in Jesus as the Son of God and “dying for
our sins” gives believers eternal life in heaven through
his Resurrection. This commends repentance of indi-
vidual sins against these commandments and reliance
on God’s holy spirit to strengthen and improve us.
Jesus states that he did not come to “abolish” the law
(or the Ten Commandments) but to “fulfill” them
means both this divine forgiveness for breaking the
law and divine renewing to help believers follow thecommandments 65