A World of Minds: Affinities and Contrasts in the Immaterialist Theories of Jonathan Edwards and George Berkeley - This paper compares the immaterialist philosophies of Jonathan Edwards and George Berkeley. Berkeley and Edwards' arguments for immaterialism mirror each other in surprising ways, even though the historical record seems to show that Edwards (who wrote later) likely had no knowledge of Berkeley's work. I briefly outline the immaterialist arguments of both men and then make the case that their similarities can be attributed to the fact that Edwards and Berkeley were reacting in logically similar ways to Locke's representationalist theory of ideas.

The Heavens Pour Forth Speech: The Nature of Isaac Newton's Design Argument for the Existence of God - This paper considers the unique contribution to natural theology made by Isaac Newton's arguments for the existence of God. Newton marshalled the conclusions of the new science of his day - including Newtonian physics - to argue for the necessary existence of a Creator that upheld the physical system. Although Newton never laid out these considerations in a formal philosophical argument, in his scientific work he often made the case that nature - specifically the regular, systematic movement of the heavenly bodies via universal gravitation - requires a divine agent not only to put the system in place but to keep it running smoothly.