Who is This "Greatest Philosophical Intellect that England Ever Produced'' That Quotes Ps. 14:1?
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We read on [p. 15](https://archive.org/details/a591687700mannuoft/page/n18/mode/1up) of Cardinal Henry Edward Manning's [*Lectures:*](https://dn790008.ca.archive.org/0/items/a591687700mannuoft/a591687700mannuoft.pdf)
>A man whom Englishmen are fond of calling the greatest philosophical intellect that England ever produced, in one of his essays, has used these words: Quoting the book of Psalms, he says, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." It is not said, "The fool hath thought in his heart;" that is, the fool did say so in his heart, because he hoped there might be no God. He did not say it in his head, because he knew better.
Based on the context of the text from which the extract was taken, it appears that the unnamed philosopher was an atheist or sorts.
Cardinal Manning died in 1892. I vaguely recall having read something some time ago in which Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) quoted Psalm 14:1 to suit his purposes, but I have since not been able to locate it. Besides, it is quite unlikely, I think, that Cardinal Manning was referring to someone who was at most in his twenties when the comment was made.
Also, I have not been able to determine if David Hume had ever quoted from the Psalms. (I thought he might be a candidate.)
QUESTION: Does anyone know (or know likely) whom Cardinal Manning was referring to in the above extract? If so, can you also provide the source where Ps. 14:1 is used by that person?
Thank you.
Asked by DDS
(3372 rep)
Jan 9, 2026, 10:58 PM
Last activity: Jan 11, 2026, 05:30 AM
Last activity: Jan 11, 2026, 05:30 AM