The Sovereignty of Reason: The Defense of Rationality in the Early English Enlightenment

Frederick C. Beiser

Published by Princeton University Press 1996

The Sovereignty of Reason

The Defense of Rationality in the Early English Enlightenment

Frederick C. Beiser

Volume 349 in the series Princeton Legacy Library

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400864447

Overview
Contents

About this book

The Sovereignty of Reason is a survey of the rule of faith controversy in seventeenth-century England. It examines the arguments by which reason eventually became the sovereign standard of truth in religion and politics, and how it triumphed over its rivals: Scripture, inspiration, and apostolic tradition. Frederick Beiser argues that the main threat to the authority of reason in seventeenth-century England came not only from dissident groups but chiefly from the Protestant theology of the Church of England. The triumph of reason was the result of a new theology rather than the development of natural philosophy, which upheld the orthodox Protestant dualism between the heavenly and earthly. Rationalism arose from a break with the traditional Protestant answers to problems of salvation, ecclesiastical polity, and the true faith. Although the early English rationalists were not able to defend all their claims on behalf of reason, they developed a moral and pragmatic defense of reason that is still of interest today.

Beiser's book is a detailed examination of some neglected figures of early modern philosophy, who were crucial in the development of modern rationalism. There are chapters devoted to Richard Hooker, the Great Tew Circle, the Cambridge Platonists, the early ethical rationalists, and the free-thinkers John Toland and Anthony Collins.

Originally published in 1996.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Reviews

The developments covered in this book have often been neglected, and it is more than useful to have the story well told.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
PREFACE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
INTRODUCTION. The Problem of the English Enlightenment Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
CHAPTER 1. The Protestant Challenge Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
CHAPTER 2. Hooker's Defense of Reason Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	46
CHAPTER 3. The Great Tew Circle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	84
CHAPTER 4. Cambridge Platonism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
CHAPTER 5. Enthusiasmus Triumphatus Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	184
CHAPTER 6. Toland and the Deism Controversy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	220
CHAPTER 7. Ethical Rationalism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	266
CONCLUSION. Faith in Reason Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	323
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	329

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Edition: Course Book
Audience: Professional and scholarly;College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 346

eBook

Published: July 14, 2014
ISBN: 9781400864447