Responding to Baron d'Holbach's Système de la Nature (1770) and David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) as well as the works of the French philosophers, Priestley maintained that materialism and determinism could be reconciled with a belief in God.
Merespon Système de la Nature (1770) karya Baron d'Holbach dan Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) karya David Hume serta karya-karya filsuf Perancis, Priestley berpendapat bahwa materialisme dan determinisme dapat didamaikan dengan kepercayaan pada Tuhan.