Overview

Sarah Hutton presents a rich historical study of one of the most fertile periods in modern philosophy. It was in the seventeenth century that Britain's first philosophers of international stature and lasting influence emerged. Its most famous names, Hobbes and Locke, rank alongside the greatest names in the European philosophical canon. Bacon too belongs with this constellation of great thinkers, although his status as a philosopher tends to be obscured by his status as father of modern science. The seventeenth century is normally regarded as the dawn of modernity following the breakdown of the Aristotelian synthesis which had dominated intellectual life since the middle ages. In this period of transformational change, Bacon, Hobbes, Locke are acknowledged to have contributed significantly to the shape of European philosophy from their own time to the present day. But these figures did not work in isolation. Sarah Hutton places them in their intellectual context, including the social, political and religious conditions in which philosophy was practised. She treats seventeenth-century philosophy as an ongoing conversation: like all conversations, some voices will dominate, some will be more persuasive than others and there will be enormous variations in tone from the polite to polemical, matter-of-fact, intemperate. The conversation model allows voices to be heard which would otherwise be discounted. Hutton shows the importance of figures normally regarded as 'minor' players in philosophy (e.g. Herbert of Cherbury, Cudworth, More, Burthogge, Norris, Toland) as well as others who have been completely overlooked, notably female philosophers. Crucially, instead of emphasizing the break between seventeenth-century philosophy and its past, the conversation model makes it possible to trace continuities between the Renaissance and seventeenth century, across the seventeenth century and into the eighteenth century, while at the same time acknowledging the major changes which occurred.

Full Product Details

9780198801542

Table of Contents

Reviews

Sarah Hutton is an excellent choice for author. She is an eminent senior scholar with an extensive publication record . . . Hutton does a wonderful job presenting a large body of diverse and complicated material accurately and concisely. She is to be commended heartily. * Benjamin Hill, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * an important contribution ... a truly comprehensive narrative of seventeenth- century British philosophy . . . Hutton's book is an impeccable work of scholarship and one that will serve as an essential point of reference for years to come. * Christopher Tilmouth, Seventeenth Century * This account of 17th-century British philosophy highlights the cultural, social, and intellectual issues embedded in philosophical discussions of the era. Hutton's impressive reconstruction of the contributions of and interactions among a large cast of individuals, minor as well as major, leaves readers with a lively sense of the broad intellectual flavor of the day . . . Recommended. * D. C. Kolb, CHOICE * the remarkable accomplishment of a novel contribution in the much explored area of early modern philosophy. * Giovanni Gellera, Journal of Scottish Philosophy *

Author Information

Professor Sarah Hutton is Professor Emeritus of Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Aberystwyth.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available