Philosophical and theological foundations of the atomistic theory of matter in the philosophy of Henry More

Abstract

The natural philosophy of Henry More was an integral part of a wide-ranging venture, the aim of which was to defend and promote certain theological theses, and this context also influenced the process of shaping his views on the nature of matter. More adopts the atomistic position primarily because it corresponds to his views, on the one hand, on the nature of extension and the discernibility of matter and, on the other hand, on his concept of God's omnipotence. One should also not forget that the wider context of the whole discussion is the justification of the existence of spiritual substances, and  for More, the concept of matter and its nature is only a convenient point of reference. This state of affairs does not obviously mean that the philosophical layer of his reflections on the nature of matter has no value in itself. They are part of a multifaceted search for arguments for atomism that lasted for many decades of the seventeenth century. In this context, reference was made to observations carried out with the use of the microscope, and to (al-)chemical experiments, and to considerations of a logical and theological nature. This last, religious context constituted a very important feature in the entire 17^th century era, but in More's views it manifests itself with particular strength.