Anne Conway was an English philosopher of the 17th century. Self-taught, she developed a vitalist metaphysics set out in her posthumous work “The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy.” Her thought notably influenced Leibniz and his concept of the monad.
Anne Conway(1631 — 1679)
Anne Conway
royaume d'Angleterre
6 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1631 in London into an English aristocratic family
- Educated by correspondence with the philosopher Henry More, a leading figure of Cambridge Platonism
- Wrote her only work, “The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy,” published posthumously in 1690
- Her vitalist philosophy, in which all substance is animate, influenced Leibniz and the concept of the monad
- Converted to Quakerism late in her life; died in 1679
Works & Achievements
Her only work, a vitalist metaphysics in which the entire universe is made of spirit and where matter and spirit are but one and the same substance. A work that influenced Leibniz.
Years of philosophical letter-exchanges that served both as her education and as a major testament to her thought in the making.
She conceives of the universe as a set of living, interconnected entities, rejecting Descartes's sharp separation between body and mind. This idea foreshadows Leibniz's monads.
Anne Conway brings together Jewish Kabbalah, the thought of the Cambridge Platonists, and modern science into a single original and harmonious system.
Anecdotes
Anne Conway suffered all her life from atrocious, incurable migraines. The greatest physicians of her time, including the famous William Harvey who discovered blood circulation, tried to cure her, in vain. Yet it was in pain and confined to her bed that she developed an entire philosophy.
As a woman in the 17th century, she was not allowed to study at the universities of Oxford or Cambridge. She therefore taught herself, corresponding for years with the philosopher Henry More of Cambridge, who became her teacher and then regarded her as his intellectual equal.
Her only book was published posthumously, nine years after her death, and first in Latin. It had been found in the form of notes in her notebooks, then translated and printed without her name clearly appearing on it at first.
Toward the end of her life, Anne Conway joined the Quaker movement, a bold and frowned-upon decision since they were being persecuted in England at the time. She welcomed imprisoned and freed Quakers into her home.
When she died, her husband had her body preserved in a coffin filled with spirits (alcohol) and fitted with a glass pane, so that he could see her one last time upon his return from his journey.
Primary Sources
Every creature, every spirit and every body, can be changed from one into the other, for they were originally but one and the same substance.
I beg you to forgive me if my thoughts seem confused to you, for I set them down on paper in the midst of pains that leave me almost no rest.
These principles were written by a certain English lady, learned beyond her sex, versed in the most profound questions of philosophy.
Key Places
Birthplace of Anne Finch (later Conway), where she was born into a wealthy family in 1631. England's great intellectual and political capital.
The Conway family estate where Anne spent much of her adult life and developed her philosophy. She died there in 1679.
The university town from which Henry More, Anne Conway's mentor and correspondent, taught. It was through this correspondence that she trained in philosophy, since she was unable to study there herself.
A London residence associated with the Conway family, a place where the viscountess stayed and engaged in intellectual exchanges.
Typical Objects
Anne Conway recorded her philosophical reflections in personal notebooks, never intended for publication during her lifetime. It was from these notes that her single book was reconstructed after her death.
Writing instruments essential for composing letters and notes in the 17th century. Anne Conway used them to maintain her long philosophical correspondence.
The essence of Anne Conway's thought was exchanged through letters, notably with the philosopher Henry More. In the 17th century, correspondence was a true laboratory of ideas among scholars.
Anne Conway drew on numerous books, including texts by Descartes, Plato, and the Jewish Kabbalah translated by those close to her. Her library nourished her original metaphysics.
Suffering from chronic migraines, Anne Conway was surrounded by remedies, potions, and treatments prescribed by the physicians of her time. None managed to bring her lasting relief.
As a viscountess, Anne Conway wore the full, richly fabricated garments of the 17th-century English aristocracy. Her illness, however, often confined her to indoor attire.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Tags
Daily Life
Morning
Often woken by intense migraines, Anne Conway frequently began her day confined to bed in the dim light of Ragley Hall. When the pain allowed, she had texts read aloud to her or dictated letters to her learned correspondents.
Afternoon
Afternoons were devoted to study and reflection: reading treatises on philosophy, kabbalah and science, and taking notes in her notebooks. She occasionally received scholarly visitors who came to discuss metaphysics.
Evening
In the evening, in the quiet of the estate, she continued her correspondence or her meditations. Toward the end of her life, she welcomed Quakers for spiritual and religious conversations.
Food
As a lady of the aristocracy, she had abundant food at her disposal: meats, bread, fruit and wines from the noble English table. Her illness, however, often robbed her of her appetite and required diets prescribed by her physicians.
Clothing
She wore the loose, refined gowns of noble English women of the 17th century, made of quality fabrics. Confined by illness, however, she often stayed in indoor dress, sheltered from the light that worsened her migraines.
Housing
Anne Conway lived mainly at Ragley Hall, a vast aristocratic residence surrounded by estates in Warwickshire. This large country house offered her the calm and space needed for study, far from the bustle of London.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Principes de la philosophie la plus ancienne et la plus moderne (Principia philosophiae)
1690 (posthume)
Correspondance avec Henry More
années 1650-1670
Théorie des « monades » et critique du dualisme
vers 1670-1679
Synthèse entre kabbale, platonisme et philosophie moderne
vers 1670
