The Sovereignty of Reason is a survey of the rule of faith controversy in seventeenth-century England. It examines the arguments by which reason eventually became the sovereign standard of truth in religion and politics, and how it triumphed over its rivals: Scripture, inspiration, and apostolic tradition. Frederick Beiser argues that the main threat to the authority of reason in seventeenth-century England came not only from dissident groups but chiefly from the Protestant theology of the Church of England. The triumph of reason was the result of a new theology rather than the development of natural philosophy, which upheld the orthodox Protestant dualism between the heavenly and earthly. Rationalism arose from a break with the traditional Protestant answers to problems of salvation, ecclesiastical polity, and the true faith. Although the early English rationalists were not able to defend all their claims on behalf of reason, they developed a moral and pragmatic defense of reason that is still of interest today. Beiser's book is a detailed examination of some neglected figures of early modern philosophy, who were crucial in the development of modern rationalism. There are chapters devoted to Richard Hooker, the Great Tew Circle, the Cambridge Platonists, the early ethical rationalists, and the free-thinkers John Toland and Anthony Collins. Originally published in 1996. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. "The developments covered in this book have often been neglected, and it is more than useful to have the story well told." ― Choice The Sovereignty of Reason is a survey of the rule of faith controversy in seventeenth century England. It examines the arguments by which reason eventually became the sovereign standard of truth in religion and politics, and how it triumphed over its rivals: Scripture, inspiration, and apostolic tradition. Frederick Beiser argues that the main threat to the authority of reason in seventeenth century England came not only from dissident groups but chiefly from the Protestant theology of the Church of England. The triumph of reason was the result of a new theology rather than the development of natural philosophy, which upheld the orthodox Protestant dualism between the heavenly and earthly. Rationalism arose from a break with the traditional Protestant answers to problems of salvation, ecclesiastical polity, and the true faith. Although the early English rationalists were not able to defend all their claims on behalf of reason, they developed a moral and pragmatic defense of reason that is still of interest today. Beiser's book is a detailed examination of some neglected figures of early modern philosophy, who were crucial in the development of modern rationalism. There are chapters devoted to Richard Hooker, the Great Tew Circle, the Cambridge Platonists, the early ethical rationalists, and the freethinkers John Toland and Anthony Collins. Frederick C. Beiser is Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University. The Sovereignty of Reason The Defense of Rationality in the Early English Enlightenment By Frederick C. Beiser PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS Copyright © 1996 Princeton University Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-691-03395-2 Contents Preface, ix, Introduction The Problem of the English Enlightenment, 3, Chapter 1 The Protestant Challenge, 20, Chapter 2 Hooker's Defense of Reason, 46, Chapter 3 The Great Tew Circle, 84, Chapter 4 Cambridge Platonism, 134, Chapter 5 Enthusiasmus Triumphatus, 184, Chapter 6 Toland and the Deism Controversy, 220, Chapter 7 Ethical Rationalism, 266, Conclusion Faith in Reason, 323, Index, 329, CHAPTER 1 THE PROTESTANT CHALLENGE I: Reformation versus Enlightenment If we are to have a clearer idea of the problems facing rationalism in seventeenth-century England, it is necessary to have a more precise account of the limitations placed upon reason in Protestantism. But simply to pose this task is to walk into a minefield. The problem of the relationship between rationalism and Protestantism has been much disputed ever since the publication in 1904 of Max Weber's Die protestantische Ethik una der Geist des Kapitalismus. It is not my aim here, however, to reopen Weber's question in all its complexity and depth. I wish to consider only one specific aspect of this wider problem: the relationship between the radical criticism of the Enlightenment and early Protestantism. By 'early Protestantism' I mean primarily the t