Newtonian Physico-Theology and the Varieties of Whiggism in James Thomson's The Seasons

The publication of James Thomson's long poem, The Seasons, in 1730, played a crucial role in the popular diffusion of Newtonian natural philosophy, particularly in the poem's stress upon the "physico-theological" applications of the new science as a form of religious apologetic. But Thomson's poem also manifests a distinctly Whiggish set of political commitments. In this essay, Philip Connell examines the philosophical, religious, and political meanings of the poem, and suggests that The Seasons offers a supple and sophisticated commentary on the shifting politico-religious contexts of Newtonian natural philosophy in early Hanoverian England. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]