Abstract
AbstractThis paper gives an account of the religious epistemology and theological working methods used in Anne Conway's Principia Philosophiae antiquissimae et recentissimae (1690). It is argued that the epistemic foundations of Conway's philosophical theology are rooted in a personal revelation of the existence and nature of God, which forms a framework through which the natural world can be approached and studied as creation. In this way, we can clarify both the place of Conway's work in the intellectual currents of the seventeenth century and various aspects of her metaphysical system, such as her account of creation.
Highlights
A growing number of scholars have trained their attention on the philosophical theology of Anne Conway, as presented in her posthumous work, Principia Philosophiae antiquissimae et recentissimae (Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy), first published in 1690
42 Jonathan Head rational theological method based on personal revelation, which coheres with the Platonist and Quaker influence upon her epistemology
We see the reflection of Quaker ideas, as well as the Platonism espoused by her philosophical mentor, Henry More, in the Principia: as an example of the former, we find the notion of Christ as an extended soul, which was a christology that was being discussed in Quaker intellectual circles of the time;1 and we will see that Conway’s account of creation reflects deep-seated (Neo)platonic metaphysical assumptions
Summary
A growing number of scholars have trained their attention on the philosophical theology of Anne Conway, as presented in her posthumous work, Principia Philosophiae antiquissimae et recentissimae (Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy), first published in 1690. It is hoped that a more detailed account of these fundamental aspects of Conway’s thought will lead to a deeper understanding of her theological system.
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