"Saducismus Triumphatus" of Joseph Glanvill: Can a book be deceiving about its true nature?

Abstract

The Saducismus Triumphatus, written by Joseph Glanvill (1636-1680), argues against skepticism regarding the existence of witches and the supernatural. I discovered the Saducismus Triumphatus in a Special and Area Studies Collection program in the fall 2023 semester, and I became fascinated by the anti-skeptical arguments using philosophical language that was devised by Rene Descartes, (1596-1650) to argue for his new mechanistic philosophy. This article may spark rare book research interests in our community by seeing connections between academic philosophy and a book such as the Saducismus Triumphatus that may not otherwise be known.