This dissertation offers a new interpretation of the metaphysics of two seventeenth-century women philosophers – Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673) and Anne Conway (1631–1679) – and brings to light an unnoticed tradition in seventeenth-century philosophy. I argue that both Cavendish and Conway can be understood as panpsychist-materialist monists: despite their other differences, they agree that there is one kind of substance in nature or creation, and that the single sort of substance always displays material features and mental capacities. Further, I propose that Cavendish and Conway are joined by the physician Francis Glisson (1597–1677) and the poet John Milton (1608–1674) as examples of a distinct panpsychist-materialist tendency in early modern England. ‘Panpsychist-materialist monism’ may at first seem too clunky to serve as the moniker of a movement, but it earns its keep by accurately capturing three elements of the figures’ systems that, when studied together as a group of related commitments, reveal the philosophical significance of each person’s views. My reading therefore bears on the project of interpreting Cavendish and Conway on their own terms and changes the way their context should be understood. Moreover, to the extent that contemporary philosophers of mind draw on philosophers from history in the formulation of their current views, the work presented in this dissertation stands to make a difference in present-day philosophy as well.

Orientador: Carlos Eduardo Ornelas Berriel / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T07:15:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Baldo_MileneCristinadaSilva_M.pdf: 3399367 bytes, checksum: db5268af50e3efcc955d2d92fe5f0b1c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: O objetivo desse trabalho de mestrado é traduzir e estudar The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, de autoria da filósofa natural e Duquesa de Newcastle Margaret Lucas Cavendish, e cuja publicação ocorreu pela primeira vez em 1666 acompanhando seu outro livro Observations upon Experimental Philosophy. A obra estudada é considerada a primeira no gênero literário utópico escrita por uma mulher e apresenta a história do descobrimento de um novo mundo por um estrangeiro que, após atravessar os mares, ali desembarca. O Mundo Resplandecente possui uma organização das leis, do estado, da religião etc. que permite uma vida em perfeita harmonia. Porém, diferentemente da estrutura paradigmática do texto de Thomas Morus, após sua chegada, o estrangeiro passa a interferir nesse mundo provocando-lhe mudanças substanciais, principalmente no que se refere à criação de sociedades científicas. Pertencendo às utopias produzidas ao longo do século XVII, como algumas delas, este texto possibilita a observação de um ideal pautado no contexto político e histórico que circunda o autor, bem como, e principalmente, apresenta ao leitor diferentes ideias presentes nos debates filosóficos dessa época. Esse caráter ocorre, de forma central, em função das críticas que a autora faz à filosofia experimental praticada pela Royal Society e que estão presentes em Observations, contudo, na utopia, um de seus intuitos é tratar dessa argumentação filosófica de forma a facilitar a compreensão aos que não participavam desse debate / Abstract: The objective of this Master¿s thesis is to complete a translation to Portuguese and a study of the The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, by the natural philosopher Margaret Lucas Cavendish (the Duchess of Newcastle). This work was first published in 1666, following her previous book Observations upon Experimental Philosophy. This is considered to be the first utopian work written by a woman and presents the history of the discovery of a new world by a stranger, after a trip across the seas. This world has perfect organization of law, state, religion etc., resulting in a harmonious life for its inhabitants. The story has some resemblance to Thomas More¿s Utopia (1516) but is different in that, after his arrival, the stranger starts to interfere in this world. This causes a number of changes, mainly to established scientific societies. In a similar way to various other `utopias¿ produced throughout the seventeenth century, Cavendish¿s text allows the observation of the ideal political and historical context that surrounds the duchess, as well as introducing the reader to various ideas present in philosophical debates in that time. This includes various criticisms that the author makes of the experimental philosophy practiced by The Royal Society, which are also focused on in Observations. One of main purposes of the creation of this particular fictional utopia is to introduce the principle of philosophical argumentation to those who had not previously been able to participate in such debates / Mestrado / Teoria e Critica Literaria / Mestra em Teoria e História Literária

This thesis examines the descriptions of Royalist and Parliamentarian masculinity in English Civil War memoirs by women through a close reading of three biographical memoirs written by Margaret Cavendish, duchess of Newcastle; Lady Ann Fanshawe; and Lucy Hutchinson. Descriptions of masculinity are evaluated through the lens of Raewyn Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity to understand the impact two competing models of masculinity had on the social and political culture of the period. The prevailing Parliamentarian hegemonic masculinity in English Civil War memoirs is traced to its origins before the English Civil War to demonstrate how hegemonic masculinity changes over time. The thesis argues that these memoirs provide evidence of two competing models of Royalist and Parliamentarian masculinities during the Civil War that date back to changes in the Puritan meaning of the phrase “man of merit”, which influenced the development of a Parliamentarian model of masculinity.