The Christian philosopher

Description

The prominent Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather published The Christian Philosopher in 1721, eight years after he had been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. The first comprehensive book on science written by an American, it was intended to demonstrate the harmony between science and religion. Mather surveyed all the known sciences from astronomy and physics to human anatomy. He presented evidence that both celestial and terrestrial phenomena 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 returns Mather to his rightful place in American thought, as a deeply religious intellectual whose warm reception of the new science helped bridge the gap between the medieval worldview and the scientific revolution of Copernicus and Newton.

Subjects

Series Statement

• Early American imprints -- no. 35226

Other Editions

• The Christian philosopher: a collection of the best discoveries in nature, with religious improvements : the style made easy and familiarMicroformAt the Middlesex bookstore1815-01-01
• The Christian philosopherprinted for Eman. Matthews1720-01-01
• The Christian philosopherE. Matthews1721-01-01
• The Christian philosopherE. Matthews1721-01-01
• The Christian philosopherPublished at the Middlesex Bookstore. J. M'Kown, printer1815-01-01
• The Christian philosopherScholars' Facsimiles & Reprints1968-01-01