Teleology and Modernity (Routledge Approaches to History)

The main and original contribution of this volume is to offer a discussion of teleology through the prism of religion, philosophy and history. The goal is to incorporate teleology within discussions across these three disciplines rather than restrict it to one as is customarily the case. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, from individual teleologies to collective ones; ideas put forward by the French aristocrat Arthur de Gobineau and the Scottish philosopher David Hume, by the Anglican theologian and founder of Methodism, John Wesley, and the English naturalist Charles Darwin.

William Gibson is Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Director of the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History at Oxford Brookes University.

Dan O’Brien is Reader in Philosophy and Subject Co-ordinator for Philosophy at Oxford Brookes University

Marius Turda is Professor in 20th Century Central and Eastern European Biomedicine at Oxford Brookes University.