{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/337879"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/337879","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The politics of the confessional imagination, from Calvin to Hobbes","abstract":"In this dissertation, I consider the nature and application of theories of the imagination by, especially English, Protestants, over the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. I make four significant observations. First, I argue that English Protestant philosophical treatments of the imagination were largely continuous with the earlier mediaeval, scholastic tradition, despite advances in anatomy and the rediscovery of new classical sources. Second, I argue that English Protestants developed a distinctive (but not original) theological discourse reflecting on the effects of the Fall on the human imagination. Third, I argue that despite a robust commitment to predestination, English Protestants by no means repudiated the possibility for specifically human methods of ameliorating the fallen imagination. Finally, I contend that this theological reflection on the fallen imagination was widespread, colouring even non-theological discourses, such as (nominally) secular writing on natural philosophy, ethics and politics. I explore these arguments over three large sections. First, I consider primarily philosophical reflections on the nature of the imagination, surveying works in the Aristotelian scientia de anima tradition, as well as early modern medicine. I also treat the revival of ancient Stoic theories of the imagination and their early modern promoters. Finally, I close off this section with an examination of the philosophy of Francis Bacon. In the second section, I turn to theological considerations. I first discuss the connection between idolatry and the imagination canvassed in Protestant theology and its sources in scholasticism and parallels in the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church. I then introduce the pessimistic account of the imagination which features prominently within English Protestant discourse. I conclude this section with another discussion of Francis Bacon, this time focussing on the religious dimension of his account of the “idols of the mind.” In the third section, I consider the language of psychological self-government as it focusses on the imagination. I consider the scholastic Aristotelian tradition of moral philosophy before returning to English Protestant theology and a brief excursus back into natural philosophy. The section ends with a detailed engagement with English political writing, focussing particularly on works written in the vernacular. I consider, in turn, Tyndale, Ponet, Goodman, Milton and, finally, the radical Civil War pamphleteer Gerrard Winstanley.","abstract_html":"In this dissertation, I consider the nature and application of theories of the imagination by, especially English, Protestants, over the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. I make four significant observations. First, I argue that English Protestant philosophical treatments of the imagination were largely continuous with the earlier mediaeval, scholastic tradition, despite advances in anatomy and the rediscovery of new classical sources. Second, I argue that English Protestants developed a distinctive (but not original) theological discourse reflecting on the effects of the Fall on the human imagination. Third, I argue that despite a robust commitment to predestination, English Protestants by no means repudiated the possibility for specifically human methods of ameliorating the fallen imagination. Finally, I contend that this theological reflection on the fallen imagination was widespread, colouring even non-theological discourses, such as (nominally) secular writing on natural philosophy, ethics and politics. I explore these arguments over three large sections. First, I consider primarily philosophical reflections on the nature of the imagination, surveying works in the Aristotelian scientia de anima tradition, as well as early modern medicine. I also treat the revival of ancient Stoic theories of the imagination and their early modern promoters. Finally, I close off this section with an examination of the philosophy of Francis Bacon. In the second section, I turn to theological considerations. I first discuss the connection between idolatry and the imagination canvassed in Protestant theology and its sources in scholasticism and parallels in the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church. I then introduce the pessimistic account of the imagination which features prominently within English Protestant discourse. I conclude this section with another discussion of Francis Bacon, this time focussing on the religious dimension of his account of the “idols of the mind.” In the third section, I consider the language of psychological self-government as it focusses on the imagination. I consider the scholastic Aristotelian tradition of moral philosophy before returning to English Protestant theology and a brief excursus back into natural philosophy. The section ends with a detailed engagement with English political writing, focussing particularly on works written in the vernacular. I consider, in turn, Tyndale, Ponet, Goodman, Milton and, finally, the radical Civil War pamphleteer Gerrard Winstanley.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Reiter, Barret"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Brett, Annabel"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-12","date_published":"2021-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:20Z","subjects":["Imagination","Intellectual history","History of political thought","History of philosophy","Early modern philosophy"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.85286","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Brett, Annabel"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Reiter, Barret"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2021-12"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/337879"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Imagination","Intellectual history","History of political thought","History of philosophy","Early modern philosophy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]},{"key":"dc:rights.embargotype","label":"Dc Rights Embargotype","values":["controlled.access"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.17863/CAM.85286"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/80922b0e-8b3d-432a-a2eb-1956e820d7a8/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this dissertation, I consider the nature and application of theories of the imagination by, especially English, Protestants, over the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. 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First, I consider primarily philosophical reflections on the nature of the imagination, surveying works in the Aristotelian scientia de anima tradition, as well as early modern medicine. I also treat the revival of ancient Stoic theories of the imagination and their early modern promoters. Finally, I close off this section with an examination of the philosophy of Francis Bacon. In the second section, I turn to theological considerations. I first discuss the connection between idolatry and the imagination canvassed in Protestant theology and its sources in scholasticism and parallels in the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church. I then introduce the pessimistic account of the imagination which features prominently within English Protestant discourse. I conclude this section with another discussion of Francis Bacon, this time focussing on the religious dimension of his account of the “idols of the mind.” In the third section, I consider the language of psychological self-government as it focusses on the imagination. I consider the scholastic Aristotelian tradition of moral philosophy before returning to English Protestant theology and a brief excursus back into natural philosophy. The section ends with a detailed engagement with English political writing, focussing particularly on works written in the vernacular. 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Second, I argue that English Protestants developed a distinctive (but not original) theological discourse reflecting on the effects of the Fall on the human imagination. Third, I argue that despite a robust commitment to predestination, English Protestants by no means repudiated the possibility for specifically human methods of ameliorating the fallen imagination. Finally, I contend that this theological reflection on the fallen imagination was widespread, colouring even non-theological discourses, such as (nominally) secular writing on natural philosophy, ethics and politics. I explore these arguments over three large sections. First, I consider primarily philosophical reflections on the nature of the imagination, surveying works in the Aristotelian scientia de anima tradition, as well as early modern medicine. I also treat the revival of ancient Stoic theories of the imagination and their early modern promoters. Finally, I close off this section with an examination of the philosophy of Francis Bacon. In the second section, I turn to theological considerations. I first discuss the connection between idolatry and the imagination canvassed in Protestant theology and its sources in scholasticism and parallels in the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church. I then introduce the pessimistic account of the imagination which features prominently within English Protestant discourse. I conclude this section with another discussion of Francis Bacon, this time focussing on the religious dimension of his account of the “idols of the mind.” In the third section, I consider the language of psychological self-government as it focusses on the imagination. I consider the scholastic Aristotelian tradition of moral philosophy before returning to English Protestant theology and a brief excursus back into natural philosophy. The section ends with a detailed engagement with English political writing, focussing particularly on works written in the vernacular. 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