Samuel Clarke (October 11, 1675 – May 17, 1729) was an English philosopher, theologian, and mathematician. He is best known for his defense of Newtonian physics and his rational theology. Educated at Cambridge University, Clarke became a clergyman at St. James's Church. He engaged in a famous correspondence with Leibniz on space, time, free will, and theology. Clarke also translated Newton's Opticks into Latin and wrote several theological works emphasizing the harmony of reason and revelation. His ideas influenced both British empiricism and Continental rationalism.
