Insiders and outsiders in seventeenth-century philosophy.

9780415806091

Insiders and outsiders in seventeenth-century philosophy.

Ed. by G.A.J. Rogers et al.

Routledge

2010

325 pages

$110.00

Hardcover

Routledge studies in seventeenth-century philosophy; 12

B801

How do some philosophers become canonical names while others languish in relative obscurity? Noting that the obvious answer, that they were better philosophers, fails to capture the whole story and ignores such important factors as national issues and religious views, this volume explores the processes of canon-making by examining how the reputations of ten philosophers of the 17th century were formed, taking five "outsiders" and five "insiders" under consideration. Considered first are the outsiders--Pierre Gassendi, Sir Kenelm Digby, Theophilus Gale, Ralph Cudworth, and Nicholas Malebranche--followed by the insiders--Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baruch Spinoza, and Karl Leibniz. The latter receive more sustained attention with different chapters separately examining their early reputations and their reputation in the 20th century.

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