The Christian Philosopher
Cotton Mather editor Winton U Solberg editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Illinois Press
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Solberg's edition of The Christian Philosopher is basic to understanding the historical origins of the harmony between science and religion in American thought.
Helps in understanding the historical origins of the harmony between science and religion in American thought. This book surveys various sciences from astronomy and physics to human anatomy to present evidence that both celestial and terrestrial phenomena imply an intelligent designer.
Published in 1721 by the prominent Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather, The Christian Philosopher was the first comprehensive book on science to be written by an American. Building on natural theology, Mather demonstrated the harmony between religion and the new science associated with Sir Isaac Newton. His survey of all the known sciences from astronomy and physics to human anatomy presented evidence that both celestial and terrestrial phenomema imply an intelligent designer.
Winton Solberg's introduction places Mather's treatise in its widest historical context. In addition to tracing the origins and sources of Mather's work, Solberg analyzes the book's contents, its reception, and its significance in American intellectual and cultural history. This edition affirms Mather's importance to American thought as a deeply religious intellectual who introduced the Enlightenment to America.
"Solberg's splendid scholarship will help rehabilitate the reputation of the most prominent intellect of early eighteenth-century America... All students of early American science, literature, and religion will want to consult this book." -- Gerald McDermott, Religious Studies Review ADVANCE PRAISE "Hardly any intellectual concern was more important in the eighteenth century than natural theology, and Cotton Mather's Christian Philosopher was the great colonial British American compendium on the subject. Full of esoteric lore and obscure references, Mather's text has awaited a scholar with the tenacity and determination of Winton Solberg who could produce the definitive critical edition that we now at last have of this classic work." -- Norman Fiering, John Carter Brown Library, Brown University "Solberg has matched Cotton Mather in the industry, thoroughness, and zest with which he has undertaken and completed his task." -- John C. Greene, author of American Science in the Age of Jefferson
ISBN: 9780252068935
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 43mm
Weight: 821g
632 pages