Philosophical Thoughts in Cotton Mather’s “The Christian Philosopher”

Abstract

The article analyzes the philosophical ideas of the 17-18th century American thinker Cotton Mather. In his treatise Christian Philosopher (1721), the author, almost for the first time in the history of early American philosophy, used the word “philosopher” in the title. The article aims to analyze the structure of the treatise, its ideas, and basic concepts. Thirty-two chapters of The Christian Philosopher (1721) described the latest advances in natural philosophy at the time. The American preacher, philosopher, scientist Cotton Mather (1663–1728) wrote many pamphlets, treatises, essays. He had a significant influence on American political thought in the 18th century. His worldview is religious on the one hand and scientific on the other.

Keywords

• cotton mather
• early american philosophy
• christian philosopher
• natural philosophy