Philosophy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

This chapter considers Swift’s uses of philosophy – his use of the word, and the uses to which philosophy can be put, good and (mostly) bad. It looks at Swift’s uses of the term ‘philosophy’, its cognates, and some related terms (‘speculative’), and at his references to philosophers, to suggest he can use the term in a restricted positive sense as well as a more definitively negative sense, particularly in A Tale of a Tub, where hubristic claims towards systematic description characterise philosophical speculation allied with natural philosophy. The chapter concludes with a reading of Gulliver’s Travels, suggesting that Swift’s capacity for fable and invention enabled him to practise a literary philosophy.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationJonathan Swift in context
EditorsJoseph Hone, Pat Rogers
Place of PublicationCambridge
PublisherCambridge University Press
Chapter35
Pages279-286
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781108917254
ISBN (Print)9781108831437
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 May 2024

Publication series

NameLiterature in context (Cambridge University Press)

Keywords

  • Jonathan Swift
  • Philosophy
  • Satire

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