DOCSLIB.ORG

Enlightenment and Dissent

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Enlightenment and Dissent Enlightenment and Dissent No. 20 2001 Enlightenment and Dissent No. 20 2001 CONTENTS Page vii Editorial 1 David Hartley’s new words for action: ‘Automatic’ and ‘Decomplex’ Richard C Allen 23 Joseph Priestley and ‘the proper doctrine of philosophical necessity’ James A Harris 45 Joseph Priestley on morals and economics: reconciling the quest for virtue with the pursuit of wealth Vilem Mudroch Comment: 88 Socinianism, heresy and John Locke’s Reasonableness of Christianity Steven Snobelen Review Articles: 126 David Hartley on human nature Anthony Page 139 Enlightened interventions Ken Smith Reviews 146 Mark Goldie ed., The reception of Locke’s politics H T Dickinson 152 Paul Wood ed., The culture of the book in the Scottish Enlightenment, An exhibition with essays by Roger Emerson, Richard Sher, Stephen Brown, and Paul Wood Christa Knellwolf 156 Harriet Guest, Small change: women, learning, patriotism, 1750-1810 William McCarthy Contents 160 M L Brooks ed., Mary Hays. Memoirs of Emma Courtney Eva Perez 164 John Locke, Epistola de tolerantia. Epistole gia ten anexithreskia. Eisagoge, metaphrasis, scholia. Introduction, translation and notes by Giannes Plangesis, Politike &Threskia ste Philosophia tou John Locke David Rees 165 William Godwin, Memoirs of the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Edited by Pamela Clemit and Gina Luria Walker Glynis Ridley 169 Alan P F Sell, Confessing and commending the faith. Historic witness and apologetic method Boyd Stanley Schlenther 175 Jeremy Waldron, God, Locke, and equality:Christian foundations of John Locke’s political thought D O Thomas 181 Peter C Myers, Our only star and compass: Locke and the struggle for political rationality Catherine Wilson Documents 185 Two Pamphlets on the Regency Crisis by William Godwin Pamela Clemit 194 [William Godwin] The law of Parliament in the present situation of Great Britain considered Pamela Clemit 226 [William Godwin] Reflexions on the late consequences of His Majesty’s recovery from His late indisposition. In a letter to the people of England Pamela Clemit 249 Books received vi Editorial We regret that it has taken so long to produce this number. It is hoped that the following number will come out in the next six months so that we shall, to a degree, catch up on the years. It is a great pleasure to welcome to the editorial advisory board Dr. Pamela Clemit, Reader in English Studies, University of Durham. A contributor to Enlightenment and Dissent, she is an expert on the literature of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century and author of The Godwinian Novel (Oxford, 1993, repr. 2001), numerous articles and editor of the literary works of William Godwin, Mary Shelley and Elizabeth Inchbald. She will bring a new dimension of expertise to the advisory board. We are very sorry to report the death of Maurice E Ogborn. He was formerly General Manager and Actuary of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. He had a particular interest in the early development of the society, in which Richard Price played a key role. A member of the Editorial Advisory Board since the inception of our journal, we are grateful for his support over the years. M H F J D vii DAVID HARTLEY’S NEW WORDS FOR ACTION: ‘AUTOMATIC’ AND ‘DECOMPLEX’ Richard C Allen ‘Theorists have been so preoccupied with the task of investigating the nature, the source, and the credentials of the theories that we adopt that they have for the most part ignored the question what it is for someone to know how to perform tasks. In ordinary life, on the contrary, as well as in the special business of teaching, we are much more concerned with people’s competencies than with their cognitive repertoires, with the operations than with the truths that they learn’ Gilbert Ryle, The concept of mind ([1949] 1963, 28–29). When David Hartley’s Observations on man appeared in early 1749, a reader would have been struck by the range of topics in it. There were the discussions of theoretical questions – concerning the forces of attraction and repulsion that Newton had proposed, the architecture of matter, the nature of neural transmissions, and recent developments in the theory of probability – which all required an understanding of the latest developments in science, mathematics, and medicine to appreciate. Equally striking, to the attentive reader, would have been the many unusual aspects of human nature observed. Scattered throughout the text are, for 1 example, brief discussions of phantom limbs (prop. 5, cor. 3), 2 number maps (prop. 61), artificial memory (prop. 70), eidetic memory in idiots savants (prop. 90), and mental calculators (prop. 93). Similarly, there are comments about the experiences and 1 Citations of the Observations refer to the proposition in which a passage occurs, rather than to the page number of a particular edition. The first edition is: David Hartley, Observations on man, his frame, his duty, and his expectations (Bath and London, 1749). In preparing this article, I have used the 1791 quarto edition (London, 1791) and a paperback reprint of the 1834 edition. 2 For more on mental calculators and number maps, see Oliver Sacks, ‘The Twins’, The man who mistook his wife for a hat (New York, 1987). Hartley's new words for action mental development of the blind and the deaf (props. 34, 69, 78, 80, 3 93). Hartley was working toward a general science of human nature – a science with a resemblance to what today goes by the 4 name of ‘neurophilosophy’. Hence both the application of the latest ideas in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and medicine – and also the inclusiveness of the observations. When explored with an appropriate set of concepts, the excesses and deficits of certain individuals become more than curiosities and reveal much about human nature. Also notable were the new words. Three words, according to the OED, appear in the Observations for the first time: ‘automatic’, ‘decomplex’, and ‘theopathy’. The first has become so common that it is difficult to think that there was a time when the word was not. The latter two have not survived. Hartley’s use of ‘theopathy’ is a topic for another occasion. ‘Decomplex’, however, is closely linked with ‘automatic’; the two words provide the key vocabulary for Hartley’s analysis of human competencies – of, that is, the many skilled actions we learn how to perform. Automatic Hartley introduces the adjective ‘automatic’ in the Introduction to the Observations, where he differentiates between automatic and voluntary motions: ‘The automatic motions are those which arise from the mechanism of the body in an evident manner. They are called automatic from their resemblance to the motions of automata, or machines, whose principle of motion is within 3 Hartley’s teacher at Cambridge, the remarkable Nicholas Saunderson, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, was blind from infancy, as was Hartley’s wife’s grandfather, Sir Henry Winchcombe, Bart. The second French translation of the Observations (1802) was by the abbé Roch- Ambroise Sicard, director of the National Institution for Deaf-Mutes in Paris, founding member of the Society of Observers of Man, and author of the ground-breaking Cours d’instruction d’un sourd-muet de naissance (1800). 4 For discussion of Hartley in this context, see John Sutton, Philosophy and memory traces: Descartes to connectionism (Cambridge, 1998). And for further discussion of the topics in this article, see Richard C Allen, David Hartley on human nature (Albany, N.Y., 1999). 2 Richard C Allen themselves. Of this kind are the motions of the heart, and the peristaltic motion of the bowels’. Prior to Hartley’s Observations, readers of books in English would have encountered the noun ‘automaton’, or ‘automata’. The OED cites works by Sir Kenelm Digby (1645), Henry More (1660), Ralph Cudworth (1678), Robert Boyle (1686), and John Ray (1691).5 Hartley thus formed the adjective from an existing noun. The distance from a noun to an adjective may seem slight, but in this instance the change of grammatical form represents a significant conceptual shift. Hartley’s definition, referring to ‘the motions of automata, or machines, whose principle of motion is within themselves’, conveys two of the meanings available to users of ‘automaton’. On the one hand, to call something an automaton is simply to say that its ‘principle of motion’ is ‘within itself’, that it is self-moving. The OED cites Digby: ‘we call the intire thing automatum, or se movens, or living creature’. If this were the only meaning the word bore, ‘automaton’ would have troubled no one, for it would have been neutral with regard to theories as to how living beings moved themselves. But this mild meaning is here set beside another: ‘the motions of automata, or machines’. This second meaning does put forward a theory: to call a living being an automaton is to say it is a machine. Descartes describes such an automaton in L'Homme (1664): it is an earthly machine whose 5 Digby uses ‘automaton’ to refer to a living being that moves itself: ‘Because these parts [the mover and the moved] are parts of one whole, we call the intire thing automatum, or se movens, or living creature’ (Two treatises, in the one of which, the nature of bodies, in the other the nature of mans soule, is looked into [(1645) 1658, 259]). Similarly, Boyle refers to ‘these living Automata, Human bodies’ (A free inquiry into the vulgarly receiv'd notion of nature [1686, 305]). But ‘automaton’ could also, according to the OED, refer to ‘a piece of mechanism having its motive power so concealed that it appears to move spontaneously.... In 17–18th c. applied to clocks, watches, etc., and transf. to the Universe and World; now usually to figures which simulate the action of living beings, as clock-work mice, images which strike the hour, etc.’ Henry More is cited: ‘God will not let the great Automaton of the Universe be so imperfect’ (An explanation of the grand mystery of Godliness [1660, ii, iii, 37]).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: the Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State
    University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Honors Theses Student Research 5-6-2021 Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State Keeley Harris University of Richmond Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses Part of the Political Science Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Harris, Keeley, "Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State" (2021). Honors Theses. 1577. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1577 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State By Keeley Harris Honors Thesis Submitted to: Jepson School of Leadership Studies University of Richmond Richmond, VA May 6, 2021 Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio Harris 1 Abstract Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State Keeley Harris Committee members: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio, Dr. George R. Goethals and Dr. Douglas L. Winiarski This research focuses on a sect of Christian thinkers who originated in mid-16th century Poland called Socinians. They had radical Christian views built upon ideas from humanism and the Protestant Reformation, including Anti-Trinitarianism and rejecting the divinity of Christ.
    [Show full text]
  • Daily 40 No. – 8 Joseph Priestly
    Daily 40 no. – 8 Joseph Priestly Daily 40 Hall of Fame! Congratulations to these writers! British philosopher Joseph Priestly was known for his contributions towards science through his discovery of oxygen and other gases, invention of soda water, and numerous writings on electricity and theories. Priestly supported the idea of phlogiston, a fire like element, and disagreed with the ideas posed by chemist Antoine Lavoisier. --Tokunbo Joseph Priestley(1733–1804) was a British chemist. He was a believer of phlogiston theory, which supports the existence of phlogiston, an element contained in combustible materials, that is supposedly released during combustion. Priestley invented soda water(seltzer), isolated oxygen gas, and perfected the pneumatic trough, an apparatus used to collect gases. --Jaya Living from 1733-1804 in England, Joseph Priestley studied gases such as carbon monoxide. He improved the pneumatic trough, an apparatus designed to trap gases. For an experiment, Priestley heated mercuric oxide and isolated the oxygen released. However, he mistook oxygen for dephlogisticated air, because he observed that it supported combustion. --Christine Joseph Priestly was born in 1733 in Britain and died in 1804. He is mainly credited for having discovered several “airs,” most notably “dephlogisticated air” or oxygen and was the first to isolate it in its gaseous state. He also invented soda water and wrote about electricity. --Alanna Joseph Priestly, born 1733, was a minister turned scientist. In his chemical reactions, he collected gases from his flask by sealing and connecting it to an inverted bottle of liquid. With this method, he isolated gaseous oxygen, which he called "dephlogisticated air," or air without phlogiston.
    [Show full text]
  • A Consideration of John Owen's Teaching on The
    Perichoresis Volume 17. Single Author Supplement 1 (2019): 3–20 DOI: 10.2478/perc-2019-0001 A CONSIDERATION OF JOHN OWEN’S TEACHING ON THE HEAVENLY SESSION OF CHRIST DINU MOGA * Emanuel University of Oradea ABSTRACT. Owen’s writings on this subject helps us to see in a profound way that every as- pect of Christ’s work is based upon an act of divine love and good pleasure in which Christ has come to us in order to restore us to fellowship with God. The Divine counsel stands at the basis of Owen understanding of Christ mediatorial work. In all their aspects, Owen’s Christological reflections represent a restatement of orthodox Christology which stands in fundamental con- tinuity with the Reformed tradition, particularly in its use of the threefold office of Christ. What emerges in Owen regarding Christ as Mediator is positively shaped by the intratrinitari- an relations defined by the covenant of redemption and the three-fold office of Christ as prophet, priest, and king which preserve both, the historical and the eternal dimensions. There is nothing more demanded from the church of the present day than the revival of the idea the we live in him who is our High Priest in heaven. KEY WORDS: Christology, Reformed tradition, office, mediatorial, High Priest Introduction. Owen, His Theology, Purpose, and Work Any study of John Owen’s work on the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ will prove to every reader today that he has been and still remains a theologian who is worthy to be examined and admired for his deep evangelical and biblical convictions.
    [Show full text]
  • Bible Matters: the Scriptural Origins of American Unitarianism
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Vanderbilt Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive BIBLE MATTERS: THE SCRIPTURAL ORIGINS OF AMERICAN UNITARIANISM By LYDIA WILLSKY Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Religion May, 2013 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Professor James P. Byrd Professor James Hudnut-Beumler Professor Kathleen Flake Professor Paul Lim Professor Paul Conkin TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………3 CHAPTER 1: WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING AND THE PASTORAL ROOTS OF UNITARIAN BIBLICISM………………………………………………………………………………..29 CHAPTER 2: WHAT’S “GOSPEL” IN THE BIBLE? ANDREWS NORTON AND THE LANGUAGE OF BIBLICAL TRUTH………………………………………...................................................77 CHAPTER 3: A PRACTICAL SPIRIT: FREDERIC HENRY HEDGE, THE BIBLE AND THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH…………………………………………………………………...124 CHAPTER 4: THE OPENING OF THE CANON: THEODORE PARKER AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF BIBLICAL AUTHORITY…………………………………………..168 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………...........................205 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………213 INTRODUCTION The New England Unitarians were a biblical people. They were not biblical in the way of their Puritan ancestors, who emulated the early apostolic Church and treated the Bible as a model for right living. They were a biblical people in the way almost every Protestant denomination of the nineteenth century
    [Show full text]
  • Zbigniew Ogonowski, Socynianizm. Dzieje, Poglądy, Oddziaływanie, Warszawa 2015, Oficyna Wydawnicza Aspra-JR, Instytut Historii Nauki Im
    332 RECENZJE I OMÓWIENIA Zbigniew Ogonowski, Socynianizm. Dzieje, poglądy, oddziaływanie, Warszawa 2015, Oficyna Wydawnicza Aspra-JR, Instytut Historii Nauki im. Ludwika i Aleksandra Birkenmajerów Polskiej Akademii Nauk, ss. 541 From its emergence in the late-sixteenth century, Socinianism, which had developed out of the ideas of the Italian non-conformists Lelio (1525–1562) and Fausto Sozzini (1539–1604), and which fundamentally reshaped the understanding of Christianity up to that point, was a very controversial religious phenomenon. As the established confessions sought to discredit it intellectually, and as adherence to it was deemed a punishable offence in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation because of its rationalizing and historicising critique of the dogma of the Trinity, Socinianism only suc- ceeded in establishing institutional Church structures in Poland-Lithuania. However, even in the relatively tolerant Polish-Lithuanian Republic of the Nobility, where Socinians constituted roughly one percent of the population in the early-seventeenth century,1 this blossoming of Socinianism did not last long. The Socinian academy at Raków, which was established in 1602, and the Raków printing press were both closed down by a decree of the Sejm in 1638. The Socinians themselves were expelled from Poland-Lithuania twenty years later, also by a decree of the Sejm. The short period, however, in which Socinianism was permitted to develop in public in a more or less unhin- dered way in Poland-Lithuania was nonetheless sufficient to let circulate its ideas across the whole of Europe. With the help of Socinian networks, books printed in Raków2 spread across the Holy Roman Empire and into the Netherlands and England, where they gave rise to intensive public debates.
    [Show full text]
  • I. Aniol 2.2 (Final)
    DBSJ 22 (2017): 91–103 WAS ISAAC WATTS UNITARIAN? ATHANASIAN TRINITARIANISM AND THE BOUNDARY OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP by Scott Aniol1 Glory to God the Trinity, Whose name has mysteries unknown; In essence One, in persons Three, A social nature, yet alone. A more orthodox hymnic formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity would be difficult to find than one like this from the pen of the Father of English hymnody, Isaac Watts (1674–1748). Indeed, many of Watts’s hymns contain such Trinitarian language affirming the equal deity and praiseworthiness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And yet, despite this legacy of rich, Trinitarian hymnody, Isaac Watts’s reputa- tion has been plagued since his lifetime with charges that he was less than orthodox in his doctrine of the Trinity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate thoroughly Watts’s mature thought concerning the Trinity to determine the purposes behind his thinking, and to assess whether any unorthodox views have been passed on through his most influential works—his hymns. Several of Watts’s biographers treat the subject at length, many without the benefit of all of the pertinent documents at their disposal.2 Other hymn textbooks or biographers of Watts either briefly mention his Trinitarian problems without any evidence,3 or they dismiss the charges without giving them the attention they deserve, mainly by cit- ing examples of his Trinitarian hymns written and published early in his life, before debates about the Trinity grabbed Watts’s attention.4 Watts 1Dr. Aniol is Associate Professor of Worship Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, and is the director of Religious Affections Ministries (www.religiousaffections.org).
    [Show full text]
  • Priestley in Germany
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Institutional Research Information System University of Turin Intellectual History Review ISSN: 1749-6977 (Print) 1749-6985 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rihr20 Priestley in Germany Paola Rumore To cite this article: Paola Rumore (2020) Priestley in Germany, Intellectual History Review, 30:1, 145-166, DOI: 10.1080/17496977.2020.1687920 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17496977.2020.1687920 Published online: 19 Dec 2019. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 13 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rihr20 INTELLECTUAL HISTORY REVIEW 2020, VOL. 30, NO. 1, 145–166 https://doi.org/10.1080/17496977.2020.1687920 Priestley in Germany Paola Rumore Dipartimento di Filosofia e Scienze dell’educazione, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino ABSTRACT KEYWORDS The paper focuses on the reception of Priestley in Germany, which is materialism; philosophical remarkable for the huge and assiduous interest it raised in different necessity; vindication of philosophical milieus. Priestley’s dynamical conception of matter, Christianity his explanation of the functioning of the brain, and of the production of material ideas are at the basis of the new form of materialism that develops in Germany in the late 1770s, and which differs completely from the model of mechanical materialism Germany was used to in earlier decades. Indeed, the German reception of Priestley’s ideas begins surprisingly early, just one year after the publication of his edition of Hartley’s Observations on Man (1775), and traverses the two final decades of the eighteenth century with a considerable number of reviews and references in the main philosophical journals and works of the time.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Servetus : Champion of Humanism and Freedom of Conscience
    1 Michael Servetus : Champion of Humanism and Freedom of Conscience Marian Hillar Center for Philosophy and Socinian Studies Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should „make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,‟ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. Thomas Jefferson, 1 January 1802 Letter of reply to the Danbury Association The Genius of Servetus There is no figure in the history of ideas who would match the breadth and scope of Michael Servetus's outlook and importance for the evolution of culture in Western Europe. He was a lonely scholar and a bold mind who brought together what was best in the cultural renewal of the Renaissance and in the attempt at the moral renewal programmed by those who came to be called Radical Reformers. He discovered through the study of the bible, which was made possible by the Reformation trends that its truth contrasted with official Christian practice and official doctrinal formulations. He saw that Christianity was corrupt morally and 2 ideologically, and, inspired by the rising spirit of the reform, he envisioned a plan to restore Christianity to its original simplicity and integrity as suggested by Erasmus. The genius of Michael Servetus extends to many fields of human endeavor: jurisprudence, mathematics, geography, astrology, philosophy, medicine, theology, and biblical criticism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Blackwell Guide to Mill's Utilitarianism
    The Blackwell Guide to Mill’s Utilitarianism Blackwell Guides to Great Works A proper understanding of philosophy requires engagement with the foundational texts that have shaped the development of the discipline and which have an abiding relevance to contemporary discussions. Each volume in this series provides guid- ance to those coming to the great works of the philosophical canon, whether for the first time or to gain new insight. Comprising specially commissioned contri- butions from the finest scholars, each book offers a clear and authoritative account of the context, arguments, and impact of the work at hand. Where possible the original text is reproduced alongside the essays. Published 1. The Blackwell Guide to Plato’s Republic, edited by Gerasimos Santas 2. The Blackwell Guide to Descartes’ Meditations, edited by Stephen Gaukroger 3. The Blackwell Guide to Mill’s Utilitarianism, edited by Henry R. West 4. The Blackwell Guide to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, edited by Richard Kraut 5. The Blackwell Guide to Hume’s Treatise, edited by Saul Traiger Forthcoming The Blackwell Guide to Kant’s Ethics, edited by Thomas E. Hill, Jr. The Blackwell Guide to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, edited by Kenneth Westphal The Blackwell Guide to Heidegger’s Being and Time, edited by Robert Scharff THE BLACKWELL GUIDE TO MILL’S Utilitarianism EDITED BY HENRY R. WEST © 2006 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd except for editorial material and organization © 2006 by Henry R. West; Part II: The complete text of Utilitarianism by J. S. Mill (1861) BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Henry R.
    [Show full text]
  • James Freeman to Theophilus Lindsey Boston, 29 March 1788 (Excerpt)1
    James Freeman to Theophilus Lindsey Boston, 29 March 1788 (excerpt)1 ... By this conveyance I send three copies of the debates of the Massachusetts convention,2 one of which you will please to present to Dr Price, with my most respectful compliments, and another to my friend Mr Hazlitt.3 The new constitution of government has been almost the sole object which has occupied the minds of the people of these states during several months past. It has kindled the flame of party zeal among us; but it has fortunately in its favour a large majority of the rich, the wise, and the virtuous. You will find the constitution less democratick, than might be expected from a people who are so fond of liberty. Various causes have conspired to render republican sentiments unfashionable; among which may be mentioned Mr J. Adams's publications,4 a late insurrection in the state of Massachusetts,5 and the corrupt proceedings of the legislature of Rhode-island.6 Several states have not yet given their opinion; but the constitution will probably be adopted by eleven at least. It is supposed that New York and Rhode-island will be in the minority. A few of our old patriots fear that the government will terminate in aristocracy or monarchy. It is impossible to foresee what the event will be. I can only pray, that God will preserve us from the tyranny of kings, and the insolence of nobles. Amidst these apprehensions, it affords pleasure to reflect that though civil liberty may possibly lose, yet that religious liberty will certainly gain, by the new constitution.
    [Show full text]
  • Very Rough Draft
    Friends and Colleagues: Intellectual Networking in England 1760-1776 Master‟s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Department of Comparative History Mark Hulliung, Advisor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Master‟s Degree by Jennifer M. Warburton May 2010 Copyright by Jennifer Warburton May 2010 ABSTRACT Friends and Colleagues: Intellectual Networking in England 1760- 1776 A Thesis Presented to the Comparative History Department Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By Jennifer Warburton The study of English intellectualism during the latter half of the Eighteenth Century has been fairly limited. Either historians study individual figures, individual groups or single debates, primarily that following the French Revolution. My paper seeks to find the origins of this French Revolution debate through examining the interactions between individuals and the groups they belonged to in order to transcend the segmentation previous scholarship has imposed. At the center of this study are a series of individuals, most notably Joseph Priestley, Richard Price, Benjamin Franklin, Dr. John Canton, Rev. Theophilus Lindsey and John Jebb, whose friendships and interactions among such diverse disciplines as religion, science and politics characterized the collaborative yet segmented nature of English society, which contrasted so dramatically with the salon culture of their French counterparts. iii Table of Contents INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Crucible in Which to Put the Soul”: Keeping Body and Soul Together in the Moderate Enlightenment, 1740-1830
    “A CRUCIBLE IN WHICH TO PUT THE SOUL”: KEEPING BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER IN THE MODERATE ENLIGHTENMENT, 1740-1830 DISSERTATION Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctor of philosophy degree in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University KARA ELIZABETH BARR, M.A. DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 2014 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE: Dale K. Van Kley, director Matthew D. Goldish, advisor Geoffrey Parker COPYRIGHT BY KARA ELIZABETH BARR 2014 ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the relationship between Christianity and the Enlightenment in eighteenth-century Europe. Specifically, it explores how the Enlightenment produced the modern Western perception of the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body. While most traditional Enlightenment historiography argues that the movement was defined by radical, atheistic thinkers, like Diderot and Spinoza, who denied the existence of the traditional Christian immaterial and immortal soul, this project demonstrates that these extreme thinkers were actually a minority, confined largely to the intellectual fringes. By contrast, not only were many Enlightenment thinkers sincere Christians, but they were actually the most effective communicators of new ideas by showing how the Enlightenment supported, rather than attacked, traditional Christian beliefs. This moderate Enlightenment is responsible for developing Western ideas about how the mind and body are related, especially within the emerging fields of psychology and psychiatry in the mid-nineteenth century. This dissertation gains its focus through an examination of the work of two historiographically neglected enlightened thinkers—David Hartley in Britain, and the Abbé de Condillac in France. Both of them argued for the traditional Christian belief in an immortal soul, but used enlightened ideas to do so.
    [Show full text]