Sir Robert Filmer (there is also another spelling of the family name - Filmer ; English; Sir Robert Filmer ; c. 1588 - May 26, 1653 , East Sutton, Kent , England ) - an English political philosopher , royalist and representative of Thorism . He defended the ideas of the patriarchal origin of the state and the failure of democracy as a form of organization of the state, to which not a single work devoted. Filmer's main work, “The Patriarch or the Natural Power of Kings” ( Latin Patriarcha Eng. Or the natural power of Kings ), was best known for being criticized by John Locke [1] [2] .
| Robert Filmer | |
|---|---|
| English Robert Filmer | |
 | |
| Date of Birth | 1588 |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | May 26, 1653 |
| Place of death | |
| A country | |
| Alma mater | |
| Language (s) of works | |
| Direction | political philosophy |
| Period | 17th century philosophy |
| Core interests | politics , philosophy , religion , culture |
| Significant ideas | patriarchal theory of state origin |
| Influenced | Thomas Aquinas , Aristotle , Jean Boden |
Biography
The exact date of Filmer’s birth has not been established, the ESB lists 1604 , but in most sources, including Britannica , approximately 1588 are indicated [3] . Robert was born into a family of British aristocrats from East Sutton in Kent . Father is Edward Filmer, mother is Elizabeth. Robert studied at the College of the Holy Trinity at Cambridge University and at the Lincolns Inn Barrier School. So in 1613, Filmer received the status of a lawyer, but it is not known whether he was engaged in legal practice. On August 8, 1618, the wedding of Robert and Ann Haton took place in the London Church of St. Leonard, and already at the beginning of 1620 they became parents. He was knighted by King Charles I (according to other information - Jacob I ) [4] [5] [6] .
Filmer's father died in November 1629, and Robert, as the oldest child, took over the estate and estate, becoming the head of the family. Since the 30s of the XVII century he worked as a justice of the peace [6] .
During the English Civil War, Filmer’s estate was ransacked by “ round-headed ” people and since 1643 his property in Westminster and Kent was subject to heavy taxes levied by Parliament . In addition, an investigation began regarding Robert, who was suspected of supporting the king. As a result, Filmer was imprisoned in Leeds Castle for several years, and his possessions were confiscated, although no material evidence was found. The investigation claimed that he could secretly supply weapons to the cavalry troops [4] [6] .
Filmer died on May 26, 1653 , although 1688 is indicated in the ESB [3] . The funeral took place in East Sutton on May 30. Most likely, his wife, three sons and a daughter survived (the remaining children died before 1653). The eldest son of Robert Edward was a member of the Secret Chamber [4] [6] .
Views
Robert Filmer was an ardent supporter of royalism . In his life he wrote the only treatise based on facts from the Bible , the history of England and Ancient History, a treatise was published after his death. In it, Filmer argued that the monarch is a historical descendant and heir to Adam, therefore, the right to rule was granted to him by God. From his treatise it follows that all the power of the monarch over the subjects is paternal, like the power of a father over children. In this judgment, he was based on the covenant of the Bible: “Honor your father ...”
Since the father must love his children, the monarch should treat the subjects as his children, in no case becoming a despot. According to Filmer, absolute power and the ability to change laws should be granted to the monarch as the only free person, and all others should be subordinate to him. Parliament can only exist as an advisory body. John Locke criticized Robert Filmer for denying the possibility of freedom in humans.
Living on the estate, Filmer was convinced that the social system that he built around himself in his county was a model of the ideal political system, which should become the political system of all of England. He considered his state system the only right course of things.
Criticism
Notes
- ↑ D. Underhill. Politics: explanatory dictionary / A. Macklin . - M .: INFRA-M, All World, 2001 .-- 768 p.
- ↑ Falernoye - Fistula // Encyclopedic Dictionary Pomegranate . - M .: Rus. bibliogr. Inst. Pomegranate. - T. 43.- S. 561.
- ↑ 1 2 Filmer, Robert // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Sir Robert Filmer . - article from Encyclopædia Britannica Online . Date of treatment January 15, 2019.
- ↑ Robert FILMER . A Cambridge Alumni Database . Cambridge University . Date of treatment January 15, 2019.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Filmer, Sir Robert . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press . Date of treatment January 15, 2019.