For my first blog assignment, I am choosing to explore the historical and philosophical implications of the ideas expressed in Cotton Mather's The Christian Philosopher. First of all, it is evident that Mather is publishing this text at a time when Christianity was a prominent religion among those who were well educated and generally upper-class. This is made clear in his introduction, where he states that men will "rise into that Superiour Way of Thinking and of Living, which the Wisest of Men will chuse to take." (line 22, page one of Intro) This publication, with its constant reference to Latin, and its scientific basis is clearly meant to be read by a small portion of the very-learned population.
Having said this, it is likely that Mather's text would have been well-received by that population. I say this because Mather continually refers to complex scientific theory in his assertion that God rules Nature, even going so far as to reiterate the theories put forth by Isaac Newton, Dr. Cheyne, and other prominent scientific minds. For instance, in Essay XXI, he chooses to explain that the presence of gravity is a clear sign that God "keeps all Bodies in their proper Places and Stations, which without it would soon fall to pieces, and be utterly destroy'd." (Page 91, lines 102-105) This assertion may not seem valid today, but in the context of Mather's time it seems likely that the perplexity surrounding the scientific theory of gravity could easily lend gravity to become connected to God.
The overall historical implications of Mather's text seem to be consistent in furthering a certain set of ideas. Specifically, the idea that God is in ultimate control of the universe. Another implication of Mather's work is that his evidence most likely substantiated the Christian idea of God as the creator of all things in Nature. This is significant because Mather harmonizes the two conflicting ideals of religion and science, which most likely resulted in conversions of some people who felt the two realms to be irreconcilable. However, Mather's publication could have had the effect of alienating those who split the realms in two and those who felt that his scientific evidence was not strong enough to support his claims.
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Marlin,
Great job of engaging closely with the text. You offer several interesting suggestions about Mather's audience and reception. Your point about the education level of Mather's audience is right on. But I wonder if there's a different way of reading the quotation, "rise into that Superiour Way of Thinking and of Living, which the Wisest of Men will chuse to take." Rather than referring to an upper-class lifestyle, Mather is advocating what he calls "a Philosophical Religion," in which the pious man will glorify God by investigating the natural world. This is the wisest course of action, as opposed to those who think religious people should ignore or condemn scientific inquiries.
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