Article ID: CBB001211645

The Theological Foundation of Hobbesian Physics: A Defence of Corporeal God (2013)

unapi

In 1668, the octogenarian Hobbes finally affirmed openly a doctrine that was unavoidable given his longstanding embrace of both theism and materialism: God is corporeal. However, this doctrine has generally been downplayed or dismissed by scholars, who have alleged that Hobbes's corporeal theism is irreconcilable with his more orthodox theological pronouncements or with his fundamental metaphysical principles. This paper defends the coherence of Hobbes's corporeal God against particularly vigorous criticisms of Douglas Jesseph and others. The aim of the paper is not, however, to situate Hobbes's deity safely within the boundaries of seventeenth century protestant theology, as defenders of Hobbesian theism have often wanted to do. Rather, the paper places the corporeal God at the metaphysical foundations of Hobbes's natural philosophy. Despite his early reticence about theological speculation, Hobbes eventually relied on God to provide a continuous, resistance-free source of motion orconatusto a material plenum whose parts would otherwise quickly slow to an infinitesimal crawl. Hobbes's late theology, while certainly heterodox in content, is not so different in function from that of contemporaries like René Descartes and Henry More, whose religious sincerity is rarely questioned. Hobbes' corporeal deity deserves a place in the seventeenth century pantheon.[ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Authors & Contributors
Daniel D. De Haan
Petković, Tomislav
Calloway, Katherine
Moritz, Joshua M.
Solís, Carlos
Sakamoto, Kuni
Concepts
Theology
Science and religion
God
Physics
Natural philosophy
Philosophy and religion
Time Periods
17th century
18th century
Early modern
Medieval
20th century
Places
England
France
Great Britain
Europe
Berlin (Germany)
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