Re: Wilkins' philosophical language in the news

I have not seen Wilkins' language, but I do think Wilkins was a remarkable
(and to me admirable) man. He was 17th century, not 18th century; as
Oliver Cromwell's brother-in-law, he protected royalist scholars from the
Puritans in power; after the Restoration, as Anglican bishop of Chester
he worked for toleration of the Puritans by the Anglicans in power.
He was also one of the first major defenders of Galileo in England (I
originally discovered him when teaching Galileo in great ideas class)
and founding secretary of the Royal Society, associate of Robert Boyle
etc. etc.
John Leland