Science in an Enchanted World - Philosophy and Witchcraft in the Work of Joseph Glanvill

Best known as the Saducismus triumphatus (1681), Joseph Glanvill's book on witchcraft is among the most frequently published from the seventeenth century, and its arguments for the reality of diabolic witchcraft elicited passionate responses from critics and supporters alike. Davies untangles the intricate development of this text and explores how Glanvill's roles as theologian, philosopher and advocate for the Royal Society of London converge in its pages. Glanvill's broader philosophical method and unique approach to the supernatural provide a case study that enables the exploration of the interaction between the rise of experimental science and changing attitudes to witchcraft.

List of contents

Introduction  1. The Right Kind of Friends: Glanvill's Biography and Networks  2. Weighing in on the Witchcraft Debate  3. The Lux and the Letter: Glanvill on the Nature of Spirits and Souls  4. Poisonous Vapours and the Science of Witchcraft  5. Playing a New Tune: The Drummer of Tedworth and Glanvill's Stylistic Reform  6. Defending the High Ground: Glanvill and the Royal Society  7. Preaching Science: The Promotion of Experimental Philosophy Through Glanvill's Sermons and Pastoral Care  8. Collaboration and Method: Glanvill and the Reception of the Saducismus triumphatus.  Conclusion

About the author

Julie Davies is a Research Assistant at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions at the University of Melbourne.

Summary

This book explores how Joseph Glanvill, Fellow of the Royal Society, combined experimental philosophy and theology in his innovative and provocative defence of the existence of witchcraft – the Saducismus triumphatus (1681). Glanvill’s work illuminates the interaction between changing religious and scientific thinking and attitudes to wit

Product details

• Authors: Julie Davies, Julie (University College London Davies, Julie (University of Melbourne Davies, Davies Julie
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2021
• EAN: 9781032178677
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3217867-7
• No. of pages: 296
• Series: Routledge Research in Early Modern History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; English, Witchcraft, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century, Philosophy of Science, History of Science, Social and cultural history, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900, Philosophical traditions and schools of thought, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, HISTORY / Europe / Renaissance