Tucker, Abraham

Tucker, Abraham, 1705–74, English philosopher, b. London. He studied law at Merton College, Oxford, and later devoted himself to independent study. He advanced the ethical view that each man seeks his own interests and that the will of God blends these into a public good. This position is similar to that of the subsequent utilitarianism. Tucker's major work, The Light of Nature Pursued (7 vol., 1768–78), was published in part under the pseudonym Edward Search.