Book contents
- Naturalism in the Christian Imagination
- Reviews
- Naturalism in the Christian Imagination
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Part I Setting the Scene
- Part II Expanding the Explanatory Scope of Natural Causality
- Part III Curtailing the Explanatory Ambitions of Naturalistic Philosophies
- Chapter 5 Atomism
- Chapter 6 Theories of the Earth
- Part IV Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 5 - Atomism
from Part III - Curtailing the Explanatory Ambitions of Naturalistic Philosophies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 June 2022
- Naturalism in the Christian Imagination
- Reviews
- Naturalism in the Christian Imagination
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Part I Setting the Scene
- Part II Expanding the Explanatory Scope of Natural Causality
- Part III Curtailing the Explanatory Ambitions of Naturalistic Philosophies
- Chapter 5 Atomism
- Chapter 6 Theories of the Earth
- Part IV Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter looks at Epicurean atomism as it was articulated by the physician and natural philosopher Walter Charleton. Charleton was among the first in England to advocate for a Christianised version of Epicureanism, a philosophy long considered suspicious because of its purportedly atheistic implications. Charleton countered these concerns by situating Epicurean atomism within a providential picture of the world. This chapter examines the main elements of Charleton’s worldview, the influence of atomism on his providential naturalism, and his understanding of the affective consequences of invoking natural causality in a providentially governed world.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Naturalism in the Christian ImaginationProvidence and Causality in Early Modern England, pp. 113 - 145Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022