The transcendentalist monism of Anne Conway

Abstract

In her brief treatise Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy, British philosopher Anne Conway presents an ontological proposal that aims to deal with the problem of dualism between spirit and matter. Criticizing the philosophy of Descartes, Hobbes and, in part, Scholastic philosophy, Conway introduces an ontology composed of three elements: God, Mediation and Creature. In her thesis, the three elements are part of the same substance, differentiated as modes of being. Generally referred to as a monist and/or vitalist philosopher, Conway attempts to overcome the separation between body and spirit by attributing equality between the terms of this duality. In general, the attributions of monism consider above all the part of creatures and do not seek to encompass the whole of her ontology. This article aims to indicate that, if the entire philosophical system presented by Conway is considered, then her ontology can be taken as that of a transcendentalist monism.