America, Christian charity and the origins of modern science

![CDATA[One of the striking characteristics of early modern colonial natural philosophy is that its practitioners conceived of their endeavor as acts of Christian charity. Men like John Winthrop Jr., Cotton Mather, and the correspondents of the Royal Society of London described their natural philosophy as part of a Protestant project to improve the condition of mankind. Scholars have largely overlooked the role of the Atlantic world in this Protestant endeavor. Indeed, most natural philosophers’ claims about the charitable nature of their work have been dismissed as merely empty justifications. This paper argues that we need to take seriously the theological context of colonial natural philosophy. I use John Winthrop Jr. and his contemporaries to explore the way the American colonies provided an ideal opportunity to construe natural philosophy as a work of Christian charity, and thus as an endeavor that was useful to mankind. My paper is a part of a larger work-in-progress which takes the shape of an intellectual history of scientific utility. As natural philosophy became oriented toward transforming and ‘improving’ the world, I suggest, so an emphasis upon its social utility emerged. Put simply, I argue that our present conviction that science should be useful can be traced back to 17th century Protestant discussions of natural philosophy as Christian charity. The American colonies were central to this intellectual shift toward the social utility of modern science.]]