The Philosophy of Joseph Priestley’s 1765 Timeline: Abstract Ideas, Time, and Human Progress

Thomas, Emily

doi:10.5406/21521026.40.1.03

The Philosophy of Joseph Priestley’s 1765 Timeline: Abstract Ideas, Time, and Human Progress

Thomas, Emily

Authors

Professor Emily Thomas emily.e.thomas@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

In 1765, Joseph Priestley created what may be the world's first modern timeline, A Chart of Biography. This paper offers the first study of the philosophy underlying Priestley's timeline. It argues that Priestley was pushed towards representing times as lines by his views on abstract ideas and time, and there is no reason to believe that Newtonian absolutism grounds his uniform depiction of time. Further, the Chart confirms, and even advances, Priestley's views on human progress. Finally, this study shows that Priestley's conception of time as a line comprises a landmark contribution to the history of space-time parallelism.

Citation

Thomas, E. (2023). The Philosophy of Joseph Priestley’s 1765 Timeline: Abstract Ideas, Time, and Human Progress. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 40(1), 25-58. https://doi.org/10.5406/21521026.40.1.03

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Nov 24, 2022
Online Publication Date	Jan 1, 2023
Publication Date	2023-01
Deposit Date	Jan 30, 2023
Publicly Available Date	Jan 2, 2024
Journal	History of Philosophy Quarterly
Print ISSN	0740-0675
Electronic ISSN	2152-1026
Publisher	University of Illinois Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	40
Issue	1
Pages	25-58
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5406/21521026.40.1.03
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1182210