Makrokosmos III

The scientific and religious thought of the Modern Age had a characteristic chronological pattern to describe the linear macrocosmic time scale. First happened the creation of the World and mankind, and the Fall, followed by the Deluge about two millennia later. The time scale was halved by the Crucifixion and Ascension of Christ, soon followed by the end of the world. What waits for mankind is the eternal bliss in Heaven or torment in Hell. The article discusses what happens to the soul after death and before the Last Judgment. Modern religiosity also influences contemporary understanding of science

Makrokosmos II

The article is about early modern England in 1650-1750. A characteristic feature of this particular period was combining scientific thought with religious (scriptural) thought, to the extent that the importance of scriptures as sources of truth exceeded science. In this sense, Englishman William Whiston was a typical 17th-18th century thinker: a natural scientist, theologian and philosopher combined. In 1717 he published his "Astronomical Principles of Religion, Natural and Reveal'd". What does he mean by natural and revealed religion? Natural religion is a religion that man can reach through a process of reasoning (independent of divine revelation). If man uses the strength of his or her mind in the right way, he~she will, one way or another, reach the understanding that there is only one omnipotent God, who has created this world. Analogously, man reaches the conclusion that his (nonmaterial) soul is immortal and that there is life after death. The author, however, does not specify what this afterlife is like. W. Whiston's book, starting from its title, combines religious truths with scientific reasoning. Whiston uses scientific arguments to explain the doctrines of natural and revealed religion. In those days it was perfectly normal to believe that sooner or later, in one way or another, life continues after death. Recognising that afterlife does exist poses various intriguing questions about soul and body. For example, if we allow that human soul departs body after death, a question arises - where this soul departs to? Where is the place for departed souls in this universe? This period saw a number of widely different tenets on the issue. Catholics, as expected, still believed that souls departing worldly bodies go to purgatory, for expiation. But in the 17th-18th century England was a dominantly Protestant country. The official position of the Anglican Church was that the concept of purgatory is not biblical, and is therefore relinquished

Berkeley, mysteries, and meaning: a critique of the non-cognitivist interpretation

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1691808~S58*es

Propositional Revelation and the Deist Controversy: A Note

In this short paper, I address the question of how propositional revelation was understood by thinkers involved in the Deist controversy in Early Modern Britain and Ireland. I argue that, characteristically for the time, they relied on ideational theory of meaning and, accordingly, explained the content of propositional revelation in terms of subjective mental entities

Filosoofia ajaloo uurimisest angloameerika traditsioonis G. Berkeley vaadete käsitlemise näitel

Artikli eesmärgiks on kirjeldada, kuidas toimub filosoofia ajaloo uurimine angloameerika traditsioonis. Keskendun George Berkeley vaadete käsitlemisele, mis oli mu uurimistöö põhisuunaks ligikaudu aastatel 1995–2007. Isikliku kogemuse najal selgitan, millised tavad valitsevad professionaalses filosoofia ajaloo uurijate kogukonnas. Tutvustan erinevaid lähenemisviise ja tõekspidamisi, millest selle valdkonna asjatundjad nimetatud traditsioonis lähtuvad, ja selgitan ka enda positsiooni selles raamistuses. Leian, et filosoofia ajalugu tasub uurida sügavuti, kuid ei mõista hukka ka pealiskaudsemaid lähenemisi. Tutvustan tüüpilisi probleeme, lahendusi ja võtteid, millega filosoofia-ajaloolane tekstide tõlgendamisel kokku puutub. Artikli viimastes osades kirjeldan lähemalt oma kogemust Berkeley keelekäsituse detailsel uurimisel. Ühe konkreetse debati näitel selgitan, mille üle ja kuidas filosoofia-ajaloolased väitlevad

Conflicting Models of Faith: Browne vs Toland

In this paper, I consider two Early Modern conceptions of Christian faith, one proposed by John Toland (1670–1722) and the other by Peter Browne (1665–1735). I regard and analyse these conceptions as conflicting models of faith. On the basis of the comparative analysis, I claim that, according to Toland’s model, the Christian faith is a special kind of natural knowledge, while, according to Browne’s model, it is a set of voluntary beliefs concerning supernatural things that are partly revealed.In this paper, I consider two Early Modern conceptions of Christian faith, one proposed by John Toland (1670–1722) and the other by Peter Browne (1665–1735). I regard and analyse these conceptions as conflicting models of faith. On the basis of the comparative analysis, I claim that, according to Toland’s model, the Christian faith is a special kind of natural knowledge, while, according to Browne’s model, it is a set of voluntary beliefs concerning supernatural things that are partly revealed

Samuel Colliber o duszy i nieśmiertelności

This paper presents and discusses Samuel Colliberʼs theory of the soul in its philosophical and theological setting. His reflections on the soul have not been studied methodically, but, as I hope to show, they deserve more attention for at least two reasons. First, Colliber appropriates a set of terms, concepts and views from Lockeʼs Essay, but he modifies them for the sake of his own scheme in historically interesting ways. He provides a closed list of cognitive acts or operations, claiming that they are all modes of sensation or perception proceeding from a single unitary faculty. He contends that some of these operations depend on the body while others, most notably internal sensation, do not. Second, Colliber applies this account to the post-mortal states of the soul in a systematic manner. He argues for the distinction and separability of soul and body and gives a fairly detailed description of the capabilities and operations of the soul in its separate state. At the same time, he distances himself from the Cartesian view that the soul is an immaterial substance whose essence excludes everything corporeal. He holds that the natures of soul and body are different but not completely disparate.Artykuł przedstawia i omawia teorię duszy Samuela Collibera w jej kontekście filozoficznym i teologicznym. Rozważania Collibera na temat duszy nie były do tej pory systematycznie przebadane, jednak, jak mam nadzieję wykazać, przynajmniej z dwóch powodów zasługują na uwagę. Po pierwsze, Colliber przyswaja sobie pewien zestaw terminów, pojęć i poglądów z Locke’owskiech Rozważań, modyfikuje je jednak dla potrzeb własnej koncepcji w sposób interesujący ze względów historycznych. Sporządza on krótką listę władz czy też operacji poznawczych, twierdząc przy tym, że wszystkie one są rodzajami doznań zmysłowych i percepcji pochodzącymi z  jednej pojedynczej władzy. Twierdzi on przy tym, że niektóre z tych operacji przynależą ciału, podczas gdy inne, przede wszystkim doznawanie zmysłowe, nie. Po drugie, Colliber w systematyczny sposób odnosi ów wykaz do pośmiertnych stanów duszy. Obstaje on przy tym przy rozdzielności duszy i ciała oraz przedstawia rozbudowany opis zdolności i operacji duszy w jej oddzieleniu od ciała. Zarazem jednak dystansuje się on od poglądu Descartes’a, wedle którego dusza stanowi substancję niematerialną, która z istoty wyklucza wszystko co cielesne. Twierdzi, że dusza i ciało z natury różnią się,  ale nie są całkowicie nieporównywalne