Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion
Motion—and, in particular, local motion or change in location—plays a central role in Kenelm Digby’s natural philosophy and in his arguments for the immateriality of the soul. Despite this, Digby’s account of what motion consists in has yet to receive much scholarly attention. In this paper, I advan...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Aperio
2024-04-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Modern Philosophy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jmphil.org/article/id/1893/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832575940425678848 |
|---|---|
| author | Daniel Whiting |
| author_facet | Daniel Whiting |
| author_sort | Daniel Whiting |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Motion—and, in particular, local motion or change in location—plays a central role in Kenelm Digby’s natural philosophy and in his arguments for the immateriality of the soul. Despite this, Digby’s account of what motion consists in has yet to receive much scholarly attention. In this paper, I advance a novel interpretation of Digby on motion. According to it, Digby holds that for a body to move is for it to divide from and unify with other bodies. This is a view of motion—as change in relations of parthood—that Alison Peterman attributes to Digby’s contemporary and acquaintance, Margaret Cavendish. Having shown that Digby’s presentation of the view predates Cavendish’s by more than a decade, I make a case that Digby’s work influenced Cavendish’s on this topic. In developing and defending my reading, I consider to what extent the Digbean account of motion and the arguments for it accord with the ideals of the mechanical philosophy emerging in the early modern period. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d4c8fd046b9c4a5ab5de7798feef2e86 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2644-0652 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Aperio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Modern Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj-art-d4c8fd046b9c4a5ab5de7798feef2e862025-01-31T16:09:06ZengAperioJournal of Modern Philosophy2644-06522024-04-016010.25894/jmp.1893Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on MotionDaniel Whiting0University of SouthamptonMotion—and, in particular, local motion or change in location—plays a central role in Kenelm Digby’s natural philosophy and in his arguments for the immateriality of the soul. Despite this, Digby’s account of what motion consists in has yet to receive much scholarly attention. In this paper, I advance a novel interpretation of Digby on motion. According to it, Digby holds that for a body to move is for it to divide from and unify with other bodies. This is a view of motion—as change in relations of parthood—that Alison Peterman attributes to Digby’s contemporary and acquaintance, Margaret Cavendish. Having shown that Digby’s presentation of the view predates Cavendish’s by more than a decade, I make a case that Digby’s work influenced Cavendish’s on this topic. In developing and defending my reading, I consider to what extent the Digbean account of motion and the arguments for it accord with the ideals of the mechanical philosophy emerging in the early modern period.https://jmphil.org/article/id/1893/Margaret CavendishKenelm Digbybodydivisibilitymotionsensible qualities |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Whiting Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion Journal of Modern Philosophy Margaret Cavendish Kenelm Digby body divisibility motion sensible qualities |
| title | Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion |
| title_full | Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion |
| title_fullStr | Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion |
| title_short | Kenelm Digby (and Margaret Cavendish) on Motion |
| title_sort | kenelm digby and margaret cavendish on motion |
| topic | Margaret Cavendish Kenelm Digby body divisibility motion sensible qualities |
| url | https://jmphil.org/article/id/1893/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielwhiting kenelmdigbyandmargaretcavendishonmotion |