William Godwin was originally educated to follow in his father's
footsteps as a minister. While in the ministry, he wrote and
published several sermons, as well as publishing the anonymous "Life
of Lord Chatham." By 1785, he'd become completely engrossed in
philosophy, and had dropped his work in the clergy. Not long after
the French Revolution, his changing opinions on government pegged him
as an anarchist -- however, he also believed in the innate goodness of
man, arguing that all people will eventually operate through reason,
and thus work towards the greater good.
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