British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century

297 Pages·2015·1.55 MB·English

by  Sarah Hutton

THE OXFORD HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century
THE OXFORD HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
TheLostAgeofReason:PhilosophyinEarlyModernIndia1450–1700
JonardonGaneri
ThinkingtheImpossible:FrenchPhilosophysince1960
GaryGutting
BritishEthicalTheoristsfromSidgwicktoEwing
ThomasHurka
BritishPhilosophyintheSeventeenthCentury
SarahHutton
TheAmericanPragmatists
CherylMisak
British Philosophy in the
Seventeenth Century
Sarah Hutton
1
OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,2/4/2015,SPi
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Acknowledgements
The research for this book was made possible by two periods of research leave
from Aberystwyth University. I was fortunate in being granted membership of the
InstituteforAdvancedStudy,Princeton,andavisitingfellowshipatWolfsonCollege
Cambridge, which enabled me to benefit from the rich research resources of each.
Mythankstoallofthem.
Among the many people with whom I have profitably discussed my work,
particular thanks are due to Leslie Armour, Stephen Clucas, Alan Gabbey, John
Rogers,andAnnThomson,aswellastoMarkBurden,GuidoGiglioni,JohnHenry,
Richard Serjeantson, and M. A. Stewart for sharing their expertise with me. I also
thankDawnGoldstoneforeditorialassistance.
Iamgratefulalsofortheconstructivecommentsoftherefereesonearlierdraftsof
the book, and for the patience and helpfulness of the Oxford University Press
philosophyeditor,PeterMomtchiloff.
SarahHutton

Contents
Abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
1. AnAgeofTransformation 7
2. PhilosophyintheUniversities 26
3. Cross-Currents,Conduits,andConversations 51
4. AristotelianismanditsEnemies 72
5. BaconandHerbertofCherbury 92
6. ThomasHobbes 114
7. ACambridgeEnlightenment:TheCambridgePlatonistsand
RichardCumberland 136
8. FromPhilosophytoScience:NaturalPhilosophyofBoyle,
Newton,andOthers 160
9. JohnLocke 185
10. Freethinkers,Idealists,andWomenPhilosophers:Philosophy
from1690to1710—andafter 208
BiographicalAppendix 227
BibliographyofBooksandArticlesConsulted 243
NameIndex 271
SubjectIndex 280

Abbreviations
CHPT TheCambridgeHistoryofPoliticalThought,1450–1700,ed.J.H.Burnsand
MarkGoldie.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,1991.
CHRP TheCambridgeHistoryofRenaissancePhilosophy,ed.CharlesSchmitt,
QuentinSkinner,andEckhardKessler.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity
Press,1988.
CHSP TheCambridgeHistoryofSeventeenth-CenturyPhilosophy,ed.DanGarber
andMichaelAyers.2vols.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2007.
CSMK ThePhilosophicalWritingsofDescartes,trans.JohnCottingham,Robert
Stoothoff,DugaldMurdochandAnthonyKenny.3vols.Cambridge:
CambridgeUniversityPress,1984–91.
HUO TheHistoryoftheUniversityofOxford,gen.editorT.H.Aston.5vols.
Oxford:ClarendonPress,1984–97.
JHI JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas.
JHP JournaloftheHistoryofPhilosophy.
ODNB OxfordDictionaryofNationalBiography.OxfordUniversityPress,2004;
onlineedn,Sept2010.<http://www.oxforddnb.com/>