American Conceptions of Materialism in the Nineteenth Century by Holly E. Rapp a Dissertation Submi
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The Material and the Real: American Conceptions of Materialism in the Nineteenth Century by Holly E. Rapp A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Howard Brick, Co-Chair Professor James W. Cook, Jr., Co-Chair Professor John Carson Professor Gregg D. Crane © Holly Elizabeth Rapp 2015 For Chad and Daisy ii Acknowledgements This dissertation could not have been written without several individuals from the University of Michigan community. Jay Cook, who served as my advisor from the first day of graduate school, was an extraordinary mentor. It is hard to imagine a better model for graduate advising, a sentiment readily echoed by many of Jay's advisees. Jay offered generous support and advice every step of the way. I am very thankful for the opportunity to work so closely with such an incredible historian, teacher, and person. It was Jay who encouraged me to take a graduate seminar with Howard Brick during his first year at UM and I am very glad I took his advice. I quickly learned Howard is not only one of the smartest people I've ever known, but also one of the kindest. Howard's ability to "think big" and take subjects like "the world" seriously as a unit of historical analysis is nothing short of astounding. His exceptional work in intellectual history showed me that my interests in theory and philosophy did not have to remain separate from my historical endeavors. I was also fortunate enough to work with John Carson, another remarkable intellectual historian whose almost unimaginably ambitious work I admire greatly, to say the least. John is not only a rigorous and phenomenal historian; he is also one of the best teachers I have ever encountered. John was kind enough to do an independent study course and help me prepare for preliminary exams even while living abroad. His willingness to "meet" regularly and sit through my entire prelims over the phone was much appreciated. iii Gregg Crane also deserves many thanks for agreeing to serve as my cognate member. Gregg offered smart writing advice and excellent interdisciplinary perspective to this project. Though I fear it is not nearly as well-written as most dissertations in the English department, I am thankful for Gregg's input on a project that often felt overly insular in scope. I am very grateful to the Rackham Graduate School, the Department of History at the University of Michigan, and the Beinecke Scholarship program for financial support throughout this project. Here Kathleen King, Diana Denney, and Lorna Altstetter deserve special mention for always patiently answering my questions about funding and other program logistics. As a representative of the Beinecke Scholarship and the Sperry Fund, Thomas L. Parkinson helped me navigate both the funding process and the early transition to graduate school. In another testament to his generosity as an advisor, Jay created and hosted a cultural history dissertation workshop. The members of this group - Pascal Massinon, Cookie Woolner, Katie Lennard, Liz Harmon, Joseph Ho, Jacques Vest, and Rachel Miller - worked through some of my early chapter drafts. Many thanks to them, and Jay, for taking time out of their busy schedules to make these workshops a helpful experience. Extra thanks to Pascal for many thoughtful discussions over coffee throughout the years. Sarah Harper Nobles, Aston Gonzales, and Joe Cialdella were members of a wonderful writing group that helped me through the earliest stages of the dissertation. Special mention goes to Joe, who was always a kind and generous reader. Joe went above and beyond in continuing our weekly accountability emails and reading my drafts even long after he had already finished his own dissertation. His friendship was a bright spot through this long and challenging process. Finally, love and gratitude to Chad, my constant source of support, and Daisy, my faithful writing companion. iv Table of Contents Dedication.......................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................iii Abstract...........................................................................................................................................vi Introduction: Materialism and Anti-Materialism in American Culture..........................................1 Chapters 1. Christian Materialism: Joseph Priestley and Thomas Cooper................................................................................34 2. Radical Materialism: Abner Kneeland.................................................................................................................97 3. Materialism, Science, and Radical Reform: Charles Knowlton and Frances Wright............................................................................146 4. Materialism and the Spiritual Sciences: Joseph Buchanan and Joseph Rodes Buchanan...............................................................213 Conclusion: The Final Science: Spiritual Materialism..............................................................251 Selected Bibliography..................................................................................................................266 v Abstract This dissertation examines debates about the concept of "materialism" in the United States during the nineteenth century. Though now more commonly used to describe a sense of avarice or obsession with material gain, nineteenth-century discussions focused primarily on philosophical materialism, that is, materialism as a distinct body of thought that held matter as first principle. In this project, I trace the paired development of both materialist and anti- materialist discourse in the U.S., dissenting cultural traditions that clashed repeatedly as they evolved over this period. I argue that these debates about materialism reveal one way Americans responded to the continually shifting terrain of the nineteenth century. In general, anti- materialist rhetoric revealed a desire to preserve certain facets of American religious, social, intellectual, and political culture believed to be under threat. For much of the century, anti- materialist critics fixated on the allegedly atheistic implications of philosophical materialism. Materialists, by contrast, frequently voiced a desire to unseat deeply entrenched beliefs and profoundly transform American society. I argue that materialism remained steadily controversial precisely because of its connections to radical religious, philosophical, and political doctrines that called for such large-scale transformations. Throughout, I follow the careers of the few self-professed materialists who tried to disseminate materialist philosophy in the U.S. despite the inhospitable intellectual climate it provided for such ideas. These figures included English chemist, theologian, and philosopher vi Joseph Priestley (1733-1804); American physician and philosopher Joseph Buchanan (1785- 1829); English scientist, lawyer, and politician Thomas Cooper (1759-1839); American theologian, editor, and publisher Abner Kneeland (1774-1844); American physician and philosopher Charles Knowlton (1800-1850); and Scottish-born lecturer and radical reformer Frances Wright (1795-1852). As a concluding counterpoint, I also examine the work of anti- materialist physician and spiritualist Joseph Rodes Buchanan (1814-1899), son of the aforementioned Joseph Buchanan. vii Introduction: Materialism and Anti-Materialism in American Culture Today, cultural diagnoses of the U.S. as an overly materialistic nation are not difficult to find. Arguments decrying the allegedly rampant materialism of American society regularly appear in print and online, commonly bearing titles like "Long Live American Materialism," "Wanting Things Makes Us Happier Than Having Them: An Empirical Evaluation of Materialism" or "Materialism: A System That Eats Us From the Inside Out."1 This contemporary commentary on materialism generally falls into one of two categories: assessments of American values that suggest we are overly obsessed with profit and material gain at the expense of other priorities, or self-help manifestos that promise to free readers from the shackles of a desire to buy, spend, and accumulate a never-ending stream of consumer goods. Psychologist Tim Kasser's 2002 The High Price of Materialism is one of the most well-known and frequently cited examples of such works.2 Combining these two genres, Kasser's book argues that Americans who "strongly value the pursuit of wealth and possessions" are more 1 "Long Live American Materialism," The Economist, Free Exchange (Blog), April 17, 2009, http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2009/04/will_the_us_resemble_germany; Lindsay Abrams, "Study: Wanting Things Makes Us Happier Than Having Them," The Atlantic, January 16, 2013; George Monbiot, "Materialism: A System that Eats Us From the Inside Out," The Guardian, Money (Blog), December 9, 2013, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/materialism-system-eats-us-from-inside-out. For more examples, see Ryan T. Howell, "What Causes Materialism in America? The Geography of Consumption," Psychology Today, Can't Buy Happiness (Blog), March 23, 2014, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cant-buy- happiness/201403/what-causes-materialism-in-america; Shanzeh