Oriel Noetics facts for kids

The Oriel Noetics were a group of important thinkers and teachers at Oriel College, part of the University of Oxford, in the early 1800s. They were called "Noetics" because they focused on using reason and logic to understand things. They were also known as the "early Oriel school" of theologians, which means they studied religion and its ideas.

These Noetics were reformers within the Church of England, which is the main church in England. They believed in using reason and new ideas, but they also wanted to keep some traditional church practices. They were different from another group called the Tractarians, who also came from Oriel College but had different ideas. The Noetics believed in a "national church" that would serve everyone in the country. They also had connections to the Whig political party and influenced important politicians of their time.

A special thing about the Noetics was how they combined ideas about God and nature (called natural theology) with ideas about how economies work (called political economy). Their way of thinking was quite popular in Oxford and beyond during their time.

Who Were the Oriel Noetics?

In the early 1800s, Oriel College had a special way of choosing its Fellows (senior members and teachers). They looked for smart people based on their intelligence, not on who they knew or how well they did in exams. The college was also known for being quite simple and not fancy, which was unusual for the time.

Many important Noetics were part of Oriel College. These included the leaders of the college, called Provosts, like John Eveleigh and Edward Copleston. Other members who were Fellows at the college for a while included Thomas Arnold, Joseph Blanco White, Renn Dickson Hampden, Edward Hawkins, and Richard Whately. Baden Powell also studied at Oriel.

Noetics and Church Groups

The Edinburgh Review, a famous magazine, once called Oriel College under Edward Copleston "the school of speculative philosophy in England." This meant they saw Oriel as a place where people thought deeply about big ideas.

The Noetics had some disagreements with other church groups. For example, they were different from the "High Church" group, who focused more on traditional rituals. The Noetics believed in using reason, but they still saw themselves as following the true teachings of the church.

A big split happened around 1829 because of a law called the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829. This law gave more rights to Roman Catholics. The Oriel Noetics supported this change, while some other traditional church groups did not.

Noetics and the Oxford Movement

The "Oxford Movement" was a new religious movement that started in Oxford and caused a lot of debate within Oriel College. Important figures of this movement, like John Keble, John Henry Newman, and Hurrell Froude, were also at Oriel.

When Edward Copleston left Oriel, Edward Hawkins became the new Provost. By 1833, the college's Fellows were divided. Some supported the new ideas of the Oxford Movement, while others, like Hawkins, were against them. Hawkins had influenced Newman early on, but he later blocked changes to college teaching that Newman and others wanted.

Teaching New Ideas

The Noetics wanted to update what was taught at the university. They pushed for new courses that students could choose. As part of this, in 1831, Copleston and Whately started a course on political economy. This course looked at how economies work, connecting it with ideas about nature and God.

Richard Whately was a key figure in this. He wrote a book called Elements of Logic, which included ideas about political economy. He also taught political economy at Oxford for a year before he left in 1831.

Helping Society

The ideas of the Oriel Noetics also influenced how society was run. For example, it's believed that many people involved in the Royal Commission into the Operation of the Poor Laws 1832 were followers of the Noetics. This commission looked at ways to help poor people.

Some reformers who were connected to the Noetics and their views included William Sturges Bourne, Walter Coulson, and Henry Gawler. Edwin Chadwick, who helped with the commission, also wrote for a magazine that was started to share the Noetics' ideas.