Denial of the immaterial substance in early 18th century post-Lockean thought: the cases of Dr. Coward and Mr. Collins
Date
2021
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
In this thesis I aim to investigate what kinds of arguments were available in the first decades of 18th century Britain when following the footsteps of Overton, Milton, Hobbes, and Locke in doubting or denying the commonly accepted existence of immaterial substance. I look at two possible stands of thinking – Christian mortalism and philosophical materialism – in order to paint a more comprehensive picture that covers both arguments form Scripture and philosophy. As this thesis would otherwise become too convoluted, I focus mainly on two authors – free thinker Anthony Collins (1676 – 1729) who represents Philosophical materialist thought and physician William Coward (1657? – 1725) who represents Christian mortalist thought. I aim to show how those two authors argued against centuries of tradition while constructing their own understanding of human nature. In addition, I will also compare their ideas – see in what way they are similar and in what way they differ from one another.
Description
Oma magistritöös uurin, milliseid argumente kasutasid immateriaalse substantsi olemasolu eitajad Inglismaal 18. sajandi esimesel aastakümnel. Keskendun eelkõige kahele erinevale mõtlemise ja argumenteerimise viisile – kristlikule mortalismile ja filosoofilisele materialismile. Leian, et vaid siis, kui vaadelda piibellikke ja filosoofilisi argumente kõrvuti, on võimalik saada detailsem arusaam toona valitsenud intellektuaalsest olukorrast. Kuna aga kõikehõlmava ülevaate andmine ei mahuks selle töö raamidesse, siis keskendun eelkõige kahele autorile vabamõtleja Anthony Collinsile (1676–1729), kes esindab filosoofilise materialismi seisukohti, ja William Cowardile (1657?–1725), kes esindab kristlikku mortalismi. Ma näitan, milliste vahenditega mõlemad autorid argumenteerisid sajandite-pikkuse autoriteediga immateriaalse substantsi õpetuse vastu. Samuti võrdlen kahe autori seisukohti ning analüüsin pühakirja rolli nende mõtlemises.
Keywords
philosophy