- Well known as an Athiest because of his incredulity regarding testimony and revelation
- Discussed taste not just as a preference but as a basis of judgment about beauty and value
- associated with belle lettres or belletrism
- Considers that this might be completely relative, but discards that notion
- Determines that no objective standard of taste can be found, but some works clearly can be understood to be better than others, and some people are better arbiters of taste than others.
- This focus on examples rather than objective precepts is clearly empirical
- influenced Campbell and Blair (the latter may be viewed as an example of a person with better taste)
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