The Impact of Thomas Stanley's History of Philosophy on Margaret Cavendish

This essay argues that Thomas Stanley's magisterial History of Philosophy influenced the evolution of Margaret Cavendish's thought in ways that have not been previously recognized. While scholars have discussed Cavendish's evolving views of atomism and materialism, a comparison of her...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStudies in philology Vol. 120; no. 2; pp. 315 - 339
Main Author Sherman, Anita Gilman
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina Press 01.03.2023
Subjects
Attitudes
Brahe, Tycho
British & Irish literature
Cavendish, Margaret, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623-1673)
Classical literature
Donne, John (1572-1631)
English literature
Latin literature
Lucretius (Titus Lucretius Carus)
Philosophers
Philosophy
Pythagoras (570?-490 BC)
Reading
Sextus Empiricus
Stanley, Thomas (1625-1678)
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Summary:This essay argues that Thomas Stanley's magisterial History of Philosophy influenced the evolution of Margaret Cavendish's thought in ways that have not been previously recognized. While scholars have discussed Cavendish's evolving views of atomism and materialism, a comparison of her attitudes toward Pythagoras and toward skepticism before and after 1660 suggests that Cavendish adopted a more nuanced approach to skepticism-and to philosophical debate and dissent more generally-after encountering Stanley's work. Her reading of Sextus Empiricus's Outlines of Pyrrhonism in Stanley's 1660 volume may also have informed her vigorous epistolary exchanges with Joseph Glanvill on the subject of witchcraft.
ISSN:0039-3738
1543-0383
1543-0383
DOI:10.1353/sip.2023.0010