Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light
The nature of light is a focus of Thomas Hobbes’s natural philosophical project. Hobbes’s explanation of the light (<i>lux</i>) of lucid bodies differs across his works, from dilation and contraction in <i>Elements of Law</i> to simple circular motions in <i>De corpore&...
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/7/2/44 |
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| author | Marcus P. Adams |
| author_facet | Marcus P. Adams |
| author_sort | Marcus P. Adams |
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| description | The nature of light is a focus of Thomas Hobbes’s natural philosophical project. Hobbes’s explanation of the light (<i>lux</i>) of lucid bodies differs across his works, from dilation and contraction in <i>Elements of Law</i> to simple circular motions in <i>De corpore</i>. However, Hobbes consistently explains perceived light (<i>lumen</i>) by positing that bodily resistance (endeavor) generates the phantasm of light. In Letters I.XIX–XX of <i>Philosophical Letters</i>, fellow materialist Margaret Cavendish attacks the Hobbesian understanding of both <i>lux</i> and <i>lumen</i> by claiming that Hobbes has illicitly made abstractions from matter. In this paper, I argue that Cavendish’s criticisms rely on an incorrect understanding of the nature of Hobbesian geometry and the role it plays in Hobbes’s natural philosophy. Rather than understanding geometry as wholly abstract, Hobbes attempts to ground geometry in different ways of considering bodies and their motions. Furthermore, Hobbes’s own criticisms of abstraction suggest that he would share many of the worries she raises but deny that he falls prey to them. |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj.art-890c800413a446c2a7755b572b6e64d52024-04-03T03:55:44ZengMDPI AGPhilosophies2409-92872022-04-01724410.3390/philosophies7020044Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on LightMarcus P. Adams0Department of Philosophy, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USAThe nature of light is a focus of Thomas Hobbes’s natural philosophical project. Hobbes’s explanation of the light (<i>lux</i>) of lucid bodies differs across his works, from dilation and contraction in <i>Elements of Law</i> to simple circular motions in <i>De corpore</i>. However, Hobbes consistently explains perceived light (<i>lumen</i>) by positing that bodily resistance (endeavor) generates the phantasm of light. In Letters I.XIX–XX of <i>Philosophical Letters</i>, fellow materialist Margaret Cavendish attacks the Hobbesian understanding of both <i>lux</i> and <i>lumen</i> by claiming that Hobbes has illicitly made abstractions from matter. In this paper, I argue that Cavendish’s criticisms rely on an incorrect understanding of the nature of Hobbesian geometry and the role it plays in Hobbes’s natural philosophy. Rather than understanding geometry as wholly abstract, Hobbes attempts to ground geometry in different ways of considering bodies and their motions. Furthermore, Hobbes’s own criticisms of abstraction suggest that he would share many of the worries she raises but deny that he falls prey to them.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/7/2/44Thomas HobbesMargaret Cavendishgeometrynatural philosophyopticsperception |
| spellingShingle | Marcus P. Adams Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light Philosophies Thomas Hobbes Margaret Cavendish geometry natural philosophy optics perception |
| title | Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light |
| title_full | Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light |
| title_fullStr | Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light |
| title_full_unstemmed | Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light |
| title_short | Natural Philosophy, Abstraction, and Mathematics among Materialists: Thomas Hobbes and Margaret Cavendish on Light |
| title_sort | natural philosophy abstraction and mathematics among materialists thomas hobbes and margaret cavendish on light |
| topic | Thomas Hobbes Margaret Cavendish geometry natural philosophy optics perception |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/7/2/44 |
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