God, truth, and mathematics in nineteenth century England

Joan L. Richards

pp. 51-78

in: Mary J. Nye, Joan L. Richards, Roger H. Stuewer (eds), The invention of physical science, Berlin, Springer, 1992

Abstract

In the post-Newtonian tradition of English natural theology, the linkage between our understanding of mathematics and our understanding of God is strong and ubiquitous. A good starting point attesting to the connection is John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, which includes a chapter entitled "Of our Knowledge of the Existence of a God." This chapter appears in the context of a discussion of the three kinds, or tiers, of knowledge humans can claim. The first is immediate knowledge; following René Descartes, Locke argues that the only example of this kind is our knowledge of our own existence. The second kind comprises our knowledge of God, which Locke argues we can come to recognize from our experience of ourselves. The recognition is not immediate, however; it requires individual effort to attain it. Locke's third kind of knowledge comprises the existence of "any other thing" which, he asserts, "we can have only by sensation."¹ This kind of knowledge encompasses the vast majority of the things we know; defining its parameters focuses Locke's attention in much of the rest of his Essay.

Cited authors

Descartes René

Locke John