The Christian Virtuoso
Encyclopedia
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
., who was a champion of his Anglican faith. This book summarised his religious views including his idea of a clock-work universe created by God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
Contents
On this book's title page (see picture) Boyle states "that, being addicted to experimental philosophyExperimental philosophy
Experimental philosophy is an emerging field of philosophical inquiry that makes use of empirical data—often gathered through surveys which probe the intuitions of ordinary people—in order to inform research on philosophical questions This use of empirical data is widely seen as opposed to a...
a man is rather assisted than indisposed to be a good Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
." And this principle is what he sets out to show.
Meaning of the word virtuoso
In the early 17th century the word virtuoso first referred to a gentleman interested in precious stones and antiquitiesAntiquities
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures...
. In the title Boyle equates a natural philosopher
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
(later to be called a scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
) with a virtuoso, which by the middle of 17th century had already begun to take on this meaning.
Its influence
This book was in part the basis for Cotton MatherCotton Mather
Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
's 1721 book The Christian Philosopher.
Boyle's religious views
The historian and Oxford University Science and Religion theologian John Hedley BrookeJohn Hedley Brooke
John Hedley Brooke is a British Historian of Science specialising in the relationship between science and religion.-Biography:...
has pointed out that one of many ironies in the history of religion and science interactions is that while the 17th century Boyle used the idea of a clock-work universe "to affirm God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's sovereignty," 18th century deists would use the same clock-work image "to attack established religion." Boyle saw scientific inquiry as a form of religious worship; a view shared by other 17th century scientific figures such as John Ray
John Ray
John Ray was an English naturalist, sometimes referred to as the father of English natural history. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him".He published important works on botany,...
. Explicit in Boyle's writings are the images of nature as temple and the scientist as priest.
Besides the Christian Virtuoso, Boyle also wrote at least three other works championing his Christian faith. These were Of the high Veneration Man's Intellect owes to God, peculiar for his Wisdom and Power (1684), Discourse Of Things Above Reason, inquiring whether a Philosopher should admit there are any such (1681), and Some Considerations touching the Style of the Holy Scriptures (1661). Henry Rogers's 1835 book is a collection of these works.
Further reading
- Robert Boyle and the Limits of Reason Jan W. Wojcik, Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 2002, ISBN 0-521-52522-5, 261 pages - Robert Boyle, 1627–91 Michael HunterMichael Hunter (historian)Michael Cyril William Hunter is Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, specializing in the history of science in seventeenth-century England, particularly the work of Robert Boyle...
, Boydell & BrewerBoydell & BrewerBoydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, editions, and translations of material related to the...
, 2000, ISBN 0-85115-798-X, 293 pages - The Aspiring Adept: Robert Boyle and His Alchemical Quest, Lawrence M. PrincipeLawrence M. PrincipeLawrence M. Principe is the Drew Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of History of Science and Technology and the Department of Chemistry. He earned undergraduate degrees at the University of Delaware and did his graduate work at Indiana University Lawrence M....
, Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
, 2000, ISBN 0-691-05082-1, 340 pages - Robert Boyle: A Study in Science and Christian Belief Reijer HooykaasReijer HooykaasReijer Hooykaas was a historian of science. He along with Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis were pioneers in professionalizing the history of science in the Netherlands. H...
, University Press of AmericaUniversity Press of AmericaUniversity Press of America is an academic book publisher based in the United States. Part of the independent Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, it was founded in 1975 and boasts of having published "more than 10,000 academic, scholarly, and biographical titles in many disciplines"...
, 1997, ISBN 0-7618-0708-X, 131 pages - Robert Boyle Reconsidered, Michael HunterMichael Hunter (historian)Michael Cyril William Hunter is Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, specializing in the history of science in seventeenth-century England, particularly the work of Robert Boyle...
, Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1997, ISBN 0-521-89267-8, 249 pages - Religious Origins of Modern Science, Eugene Marion KlaarenEugene Marion KlaarenEugene Marion Klaaren is a historian and professor of religion. He holds a BA from Hope College, an MA from Emory University, a BD from Western Theological Seminary, and a PHD from Harvard University. He is now an Emeritus Professor of Wesleyan University...
, Eerdmans, 1977, ISBN 0-8028-1683-5, 244 pages