Anthony Collins

Collins, Anthony 

Born June 21, 1676, in Heston, Middlesex; died Dec. 13, 1729, in London. English deist and student and friend of J. Locke.

Collins’ deism had a certain materialist tendency. In his Letter to Mr. Dodwell (1707), he stated that the soul may be material and raised doubts concerning its immortality. He defended determinism in a polemic against the doctrine of free will. Although he retained his faith in god, he considered himself a member of the “sect of freethinkers.” In his main work, A Discourse of Freethinking (1713), and other writings Collins sought to free thought from church dogma. His works were published anonymously and came under sharp attack from the clergy.

WORKS

A Discourse of the Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion, new ed. London, 1741.
A Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Human Liberty, new ed. Birmingham, 1790.
In Russian translation:
Angliiskie materialisty 18 v., vol. 2. Moscow, 1967.