Science in an Enchanted World : Philosophy and Witchcraft in the Work of Joseph Glanvill

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. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Figures 8 List of Tables 9 Acknowledgements 10 A Note on Citations 12 Introduction 16 1 The Right Kind of Friends: Glanvill’s Biography and Networks 29 2 Weighing in on the Witchcraft Debate 55 3 The Lux and the Letter: Glanvill on the Nature of Spirits and Souls 95 4 Poisonous Vapours and the Science of Witchcraft 121 5 Playing a New Tune: The Drummer of Tedworth and Glanvill’s Stylistic Reform 140 6 Defending the High Ground: Glanvill and the Royal Society 162 7 Preaching Science: The Promotion of Experimental Philosophy through Glanvill’s Sermons and Pastoral Care 188 8 Collaboration and Method: Glanvill and the Reception of the Saducismus triumphatus 207 Conclusion 238 Tables 245 Bibliography 254 Index 292 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 witchcraft.