Reason and Authority in the Eighteenth Century

Originally published in 1964, this book examines the influence of reason and authority upon English thought in the eighteenth century.

Gerald R. Cragg (Author)

9781107635050, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 March 2013

360 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2 cm, 0.46 kg

Originally published in 1964, this book examines the influence of reason and authority upon English thought in the eighteenth century. The text relates these two concepts to movements in religious and political thought, beginning with Locke's views on faith and reason before going through various areas and finishing with the beginnings of Romanticism. The age of the Enlightenment is seen as constituted, on the one hand, by an attempt to relate all significant intellectual movements to reason and, on the other, an attempt to devise proper restraints on the authority of reason. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in philosophy, social and political thought, and eighteenth-century English history.

Preface
1. The legacy of Locke and Newton
2. The authority of reason confirmed by revelation
3. The authority of reason independent of revelation
4. The retort to reason - Law, Berkeley, Butler
5. Scepticism and its challenge to authority
6. The authority of a revitalised faith
7. The authority of the state and the claims of the church
8. The appeal to the authority of science
9. The authority of tradition and the demand for reform
10. Conclusion
Bibliography
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD]