This book explores how Joseph Glanvill, Fellow of the Royal Society, combined experimental philosophy and theology in his innovative and provocative defence of the existence of witchcraft – the Saducismus triumphatus (1681). Glanvill’s work illuminates the interaction between changing religious and scientific thinking and attitudes to wit
Best known as the Saducismus triumphatus (1681), Joseph Glanvill’s book on witchcraft is among the most frequently published from the seventeenth century, and its arguments for the reality of diabolic witchcraft elicited passionate responses from critics and supporters alike. Davies untangles the intricate development of this text and explores how Glanvill’s roles as theologian, philosopher and advocate for the Royal Society of London converge in its pages. Glanvill’s broader philosophical method and unique approach to the supernatural provide a case study that enables the exploration of the interaction between the rise of experimental science and changing attitudes to witchcraft.
Introduction
1. The Right Kind of Friends: Glanvills Biography and
Networks
2. Weighing in on the Witchcraft Debate
3. The Lux and the Letter:
Glanvill on the Nature of Spirits and Souls
4. Poisonous Vapours and the
Science of Witchcraft
5. Playing a New Tune: The Drummer of Tedworth and
Glanvills Stylistic Reform
6. Defending the High Ground: Glanvill and the
Royal Society
7. Preaching Science: The Promotion of Experimental Philosophy
Through Glanvills Sermons and Pastoral Care
8. Collaboration and Method:
Glanvill and the Reception of the Saducismus triumphatus. Conclusion
Julie Davies is a Research Assistant at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions at the University of Melbourne.
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