Henry More and the development of absolute time

Thomas, Emily

Abstract

This paper explores the nature, development and influence of the first English account of absolute time, put forward in the mid-seventeenth century by the ‘Cambridge Platonist’ Henry More. Against claims in the literature that More does not have an account of time, this paper sets out More's evolving account and shows that it reveals the lasting influence of Plotinus. Further, this paper argues that More developed his views on time in response to his adoption of Descartes' vortex cosmology and cosmogony, providing new evidence of More's wider project to absorb Cartesian natural philosophy into his Platonic metaphysics. Finally, this paper argues that More should be added to the list of sources that later English thinkers – including Newton and Samuel Clarke – drew on in constructing their absolute accounts of time.

Citation

Thomas, E. (2015). Henry More and the development of absolute time. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 54, 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2015.06.003

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 19, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jul 30, 2015
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 30, 2017
• Journal: Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A
• Print ISSN: 1355-2198
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 54
• Pages: 11-19
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2015.06.003
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1402465