Impact of the Sceptic Publications

Question 1

What are some positive impacts of Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of witchcraft 1584

Answer 1

1) people saw his argument as a genuine threat to their beliefs
2) Scot was the first English author to show scepticism. He planted the seed
3) Scot’s work inspired later sceptics, none of whom really went beyond his ideas.

Question 2

What are some negative impacts of Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of witchcraft 1584

Answer 2

1) scott still maintained a belief in both witches and the power of the Devil.
2) Scot’s work preceded the most ferocious period of witch-hunting in England: The 1604 act

Question 3

What are some positive impacts of Samuel Harsnett’s Practices of John Darrel

Answer 3

1) Led to discussion and debate via the pamphlet war.

2) Puts forward the idea that possessions can be faked

Question 4

What are some negative impacts of Samuel Harsnett’s Practices of John Darrel

Answer 4

1) Harsnett, Deacon and Walker’s views remained in the minority.
2) The pamphlet war centred on exorcism and the power of the Devil and so did not seem to challenge a belief in witchcraft at all

Question 5

What are some positive impacts of Thomas Ady’s A Candle in the Dark 1656

Answer 5

1) Ady undermined the legitimacy of the hunts. Ady was convincing in this as the Bible was the only source he used for his book.
2) His criticisms of the tactics of witch-hunters (e.g. the swim test) may have influenced judges, who adopted higher standards for evidence

Question 6

What are some negative impacts of Thomas Ady’s A Candle in the Dark 1656

Answer 6

1) The book did not put forward a particularly different or radical view from Scot’s and it failed to outright question the existence of witches
2) The book came after the most intense hunting had already happened

Question 7

What are some positive impacts of John Webster’s Supposed Witchcraft

Answer 7

1) His thorough use of evidence lends him a credibility that sets him apart from other sceptics
2) .Webster’s support from the Royal Society, a newly scientific organisation, suggests he influenced scepticism amongst the elite intelligentsia
3) Webster dismisses maleficium and diabolism

Question 8

What are some negative impacts of John Webster’s Supposed Witchcraft

Answer 8

1) Webster’s work was not particularly radical, it did not fundamentally challenge a belief in witche
2) Witchcraft was already on the decline