Freethinkers and secularists may believe that theirs is a relatively modern philosophy. But as A Short History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 2 of 2 explains, freethought has a long and dignified history and has survived many previous attempts by government and churches to stifle reason and logic. Volume 1 traces the philosophies that were prevalent in the ancient world and Volume 2 describes freethought during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. J. M. Robertson was a Liberal member of Parliament, journalist and ...
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Freethinkers and secularists may believe that theirs is a relatively modern philosophy. But as A Short History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 2 of 2 explains, freethought has a long and dignified history and has survived many previous attempts by government and churches to stifle reason and logic. Volume 1 traces the philosophies that were prevalent in the ancient world and Volume 2 describes freethought during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. J. M. Robertson was a Liberal member of Parliament, journalist and advocate of rationalism and secularism. He authored several books, including one on the historicity of Jesus. According to Robertson even some of history's most celebrated thinkers, like John Stuart Mill, had a tendency to timidly "speak out without really speaking out" about their secularist beliefs. This problem is still ever present in our own time. Volume 2 opens with the rise of modern freethought in Italy and throughout Europe, partly as a reaction to the Reformation. Robertson does a good job of explaining the political, religious and social forces that affected the freethought movement. Although the Church fought freethinkers, scientists like Copernicus and Galileo gave new life to secular ideas. The chapters on British Freethought in the 17th and 18th Century are rigorous and cover every major figure of the time and many minor ones that are less familiar to readers. This is particularly true in the chapters tracing secularism in the rest of Europe, as conditions in Poland, Portugal and Switzerland are included in the Volume. The discussion of early freethought in the United States is a helpful summary of scholars and statesmen who framed the Constitution, most of whom espoused deism, actively rejecting divinely-inspired texts. Their disavowal of established religious practices was just as revolutionary as their political declaration of independence from the United Kingdom. The book ends with the waves of freethinkers in the 19th Century, again reviewing the situation in most of the major countries around the world. A Short History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 2 of 2 is still the most comprehensive book on the intellectual history of freethought and skepticism. Secularist readers will recognize that the arguments levied against these skeptics are the same ones brought to bear in our current century. This book is a must-read for secular humanists, atheists and skeptics. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at ... This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Add this copy of A Short History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, Vol to cart. $12.40, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Forgotten Books.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. Volume 2. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of A Short History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, Vol to cart. $26.89, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Forgotten Books.
Add this copy of A Short History of Freethought, Vol 2 of 2 Ancient and to cart. $27.56, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Forgotten Books.
Add this copy of A Short History of Freethought, Vol. 2 of 2: Ancient to cart. $36.31, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Forgotten Books.
Add this copy of A Short History of Freethought, Vol. 2 of 2: Ancient to cart. $37.82, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Forgotten Books.
