WHAT MATTER MATTERS: BODY, SPIRIT, AND VITAL MOTION IN ANNE CONWAY'S METAPHYSICS
type: CreativeWork
description: We often view matter as inert stuff, lacking sensitivity or responsiveness, and seemingly “dead” in contrast to living organisms—for instance, consider the difference between a solid stone and a cat on the prowl. But should we? In my dissertation, entitled What Matter Matters? Corporeality and Spirituality in Conway’s Metaphysics, I investigate the metaphysics and natural philosophy of Lady Anne Conway, the understudied seventeenth-century English female philosopher. In her Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy (1690), Conway questions the common idea of matter. She critically engages with the philosophy of canonical thinkers such as Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, and Henry More. One popular belief among these philosophers is that lifeless matter and living spirit are two distinct elements, while the generation of various creatures is based on the interaction between the two elements. According to Conway, this way of understanding the world poses a significant conundrum: How can matter and spirit embrace each other if they are so different in nature? In response, she boldly argues that matter and spirit are just two ends of the same spectrum—“That every Body may be turned into a Spirit, and a Spirit into a Body” (The Principles, VII). The goal of my dissertation, therefore, is to give a comprehensive and interdisciplinary interpretation of the meaning of matter and spirit in Conway and locate this interpretation in its proper context. In particular, I allude to Henry More’s natural philosophy and F.M. van Helmont’s kabbalist, alchemical, and medical works, to clarify her theories of spirit and matter. I argue that while Conway seeks to construct a unified world based on the convertible nature of matter and spirit, she also emphasizes the necessary distinctions between the two elements. When describing matter, Conway uses metaphorical terms like “gross,” “dark,” and “dense,” while referring to spirit as “subtle,” “tenuous,” and “aethereal.” In addressing …
abstract: We often view matter as inert stuff, lacking sensitivity or responsiveness, and seemingly “dead” in contrast to living organisms—for instance, consider the difference between a solid stone and a cat on the prowl. But should we? In my dissertation, entitled What Matter Matters? Corporeality and Spirituality in Conway’s Metaphysics, I investigate the metaphysics and natural philosophy of Lady Anne Conway, the understudied seventeenth-century English female philosopher. In her Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy (1690), Conway questions the common idea of matter. She critically engages with the philosophy of canonical thinkers such as Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, and Henry More. One popular belief among these philosophers is that lifeless matter and living spirit are two distinct elements, while the generation of various creatures is based on the interaction between the two elements. According to Conway, this way of understanding the world poses a significant conundrum: How can matter and spirit embrace each other if they are so different in nature? In response, she boldly argues that matter and spirit are just two ends of the same spectrum—“That every Body may be turned into a Spirit, and a Spirit into a Body” (The Principles, VII). The goal of my dissertation, therefore, is to give a comprehensive and interdisciplinary interpretation of the meaning of matter and spirit in Conway and locate this interpretation in its proper context. In particular, I allude to Henry More’s natural philosophy and F.M. van Helmont’s kabbalist, alchemical, and medical works, to clarify her theories of spirit and matter. I argue that while Conway seeks to construct a unified world based on the convertible nature of matter and spirit, she also emphasizes the necessary distinctions between the two elements. When describing matter, Conway uses metaphorical terms like “gross,” “dark,” and “dense,” while referring to spirit as “subtle,” “tenuous,” and “aethereal.” In addressing …
author: Wu, Yining
language: eng
keywords: Philosophy, Anne Conway, Early modern philosophy, History of philosophy, Metaphysics, Monism
license: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
date published: 2025-08
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:21:14Z
provider: Temple University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Temple University. Libraries