Synopses & Reviews
Margaret Cavendish's Observations upon Experimental Philosophy holds a unique position in early modern philosophy. Cavendish rejects the picture of nature as a grand machine that was propounded by Hobbes and Descartes; she also rejects the alternative views of nature that make reference to immaterial spirits. Instead she develops an original system of organicist materialism, and draws on the doctrines of ancient Stoicism to attack the tenets of seventeenth-century mechanical philosophy. Her treatise is a document of major importance in the history of women's contributions to philosophy and science.
Review
"Eileen O'Neill's edition of the 1668 edition of this text (the first was printed in 1666) will go a long way to making Cavendish accessible to a modern audience. O'Neill's edition of the Observations is textually impeccable." Isis
Review
"This is a significant, and welcome addition to scholarship." Philosophy in Review
Synopsis
The first modern edition of Margaret Cavendish's treatise on the philosophy of nature.
Table of Contents
An argumental discourse; The table of all the principal subjects; Observations upon experimental philosophy; Further observations upon experimental philosophy; Observations upon the opinions of some ancient philosophers.