Baron D'holbach, by Max Pearson Cushing 1
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Christianity Unveiled; Being an Examination of the Principles and Effects of the Christian Religion
Christianity Unveiled; Being An Examination Of The Principles And Effects Of The Christian Religion by Paul Henri d’Holbach - 1761 [1819 translation by W. M. Johnson] CONTENTS. A LETTER from the Author to a Friend. CHAPTER I. - Of the necessity of an Inquiry respecting Religion, and the Obstacles which are met in pursuing this Inquiry. CHAPTER II. - Sketch of the History of the Jews. CHAPTER III. - Sketch of the History of the Christian Religion. CHAPTER IV. - Of the Christian Mythology, or the Ideas of God and his Conduct, given us by the Christian Religion. CHAPTER V. - Of Revelation. CHAPTER VI. - Of the Proofs of the Christian Religion, Miracles, Prophecies, and Martyrs. CHAPTER VII. - Of the Mysteries of the Christian Religion. CHAPTER VIII. - Mysteries and Dogmas of Christianity. CHAPTER IX. - Of the Rites and Ceremonies or Theurgy of the Christians. CHAPTER X. - Of the inspired Writings of the Christians. CHAPTER XI. - Of Christian Morality. CHAPTER XII. - Of the Christian Virtues. CHAPTER XIII. - Of the Practice and Duties of the Christian Religion. CHAPTER XIV. - Of the Political Effects of the Christian Religion. CHAPTER XV. - Of the Christian Church or Priesthood. CHAPTER XVI. - Conclusions. A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR TO A FRIEND I RECEIVE, Sir, with gratitude, the remarks which you send me upon my work. If I am sensible to the praises you condescend to give it, I am too fond of truth to be displeased with the frankness with which you propose your objections. I find them sufficiently weighty to merit all my attention. He but ill deserves the title of philosopher, who has not the courage to hear his opinions contradicted. -
The Enlightenment, Special Ediction October 2010
The Enlightenment The Newsletter of the Humanist Association of London and Area An Affiliate of Humanist Canada (HC) Volume 6 Number 8 Special Issue Two Contrasting Legacies of the Axial Age Grecian Philosophical Rationalism & Monotheistic Christianity From about 900 to 200 BCE (Before the Common Era) in different regions of the world, four great traditions came into being that have continued to influence humanity to this day. They were Confucianism and Taoism in China; Hinduism and Buddhism in India; monotheistic Judaism in Israel (followed by its offshoot Christianity); and philosophical rationalism in Greece. This was the period of Confucius, Buddha, Jeremiah and Socrates. During this era, which came to be known as The Axial Age, spiritual and philosophical geniuses pioneered intense creativity and generated new kinds of human experiences unlike anything that had occurred up until that time. This special issue of The Enlightenment will explore the outcomes of two of these historical entities, the glory that was Greece and the monotheistic Judaism in Israel that led to the invention of Christianity and the founding of the early Roman Catholic Church. In the centuries leading up to the beginning of the Common Era (CE) great things were happening in Greece. This was the civilization that spawned philosophy, democracy, and humanism, among other things, in a polytheistic society that honoured many gods and goddesses. At the same time, not far away in Palestine, the Jews were worshiping only one God called Yahweh. In the first century CE, one of these Jews who went by the name of Jesus, organized a band of twelve disciples and began preaching a reformed gospel that irritated the leaders in the Jerusalem Temple, and possibly the Roman civic authorities as well. -
ABSTRACT on Science and Atheism: Whether Atheistic Belief Is
ABSTRACT On Science and Atheism: Whether Atheistic Belief is Scientifically Motivated Charles L. Jester Director: Gerald Cleaver, Ph.D. The intent of this paper is to explore the motivation behind the rejection of theistic religious faiths by modern atheist scientists, and whether it is justified to claim that this rejection is scientifically motivated. First, a brief background of the development of the contemporary schism between faith and science is given, noting in particular changes in belief amongst the scientific community. Next, an exposition on the motivations for scientists’ convictions concerning God is laid out, followed by an address to the question of whether atheistic scientists reject all properties of God, or only certain of them. Based on analyses of personal statements, statistical data on beliefs, and developments in twentieth-century physics and mathematics, it is concluded that modern scientists who reject theism are not overwhelmingly motivated by science, and that they in fact do not reject all ideas of God. APPROVED BY DIRECTOR OF HONORS THESIS: _____________________________________________________ Dr. Gerald B. Cleaver, Department of Physics APPROVED BY THE HONORS PROGRAM: _____________________________________________________ Dr. Andrew Wisely, Director DATE: ___________________________ ON SCIENCE AND ATHEISM: WHETHER ATHEISTIC BELIEF IS SCIENTIFICALLY MOTIVATED A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Baylor University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Honors Program By Charles L. Jester Waco, Texas -
In the Polite Eighteenth Century, 1750–1806 A
AMERICAN SCIENCE AND THE PURSUIT OF “USEFUL KNOWLEDGE” IN THE POLITE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 1750–1806 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Elizabeth E. Webster Christopher Hamlin, Director Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science Notre Dame, Indiana April 2010 © Copyright 2010 Elizabeth E. Webster AMERICAN SCIENCE AND THE PURSUIT OF “USEFUL KNOWLEDGE” IN THE POLITE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 1750–1806 Abstract by Elizabeth E. Webster In this thesis, I will examine the promotion of science, or “useful knowledge,” in the polite eighteenth century. Historians of England and America have identified the concept of “politeness” as a key component for understanding eighteenth-century culture. At the same time, the term “useful knowledge” is also acknowledged to be a central concept for understanding the development of the early American scientific community. My dissertation looks at how these two ideas, “useful knowledge” and “polite character,” informed each other. I explore the way Americans promoted “useful knowledge” in the formative years between 1775 and 1806 by drawing on and rejecting certain aspects of the ideal of politeness. Particularly, I explore the writings of three central figures in the early years of the American Philosophical Society, David Rittenhouse, Charles Willson Peale, and Benjamin Rush, to see how they variously used the language and ideals of politeness to argue for the promotion of useful knowledge in America. Then I turn to a New Englander, Thomas Green Fessenden, who identified and caricatured a certain type of man of science and satirized the late-eighteenth-century culture of useful knowledge. -
Flyer 'New Atheism'
A Research Project at the Institute for Criticism of Religion and Atheism The "New Atheism" the Scientific Study of Religion of the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany The term "New Atheism" was introduced by The history of religion has almost always been American journalist Gary Wolf in his article The accompanied by the criticism of religion – that Church of Non-Believers (Nov. 2006). He coined The scientific study of religion (German: appears in most cases as either an inter- or the term to describe the enormous success of Religionswissenschaft) is an academic discipline intra-religious criticism. Both forms of criticism then-bestsellers – The God Delusion by the which – unlike theology – takes a neutral do not extend beyond the borders of religious British zoologist Richard Dawkins, The End of position (from outside any particular religious viewpoints, so that criticism of religion does not Faith by Sam Harris, and Breaking the Spell: viewpoint) towards its subjects of research. In necessarily imply a fundamental rejection of Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel this vein, our research project shall be religion at all. Dennett – that openly criticize most forms of examining recent tendencies in atheistic religion. Since his article, the term has been criticism of religion. The atheistic criticism of religion, however, widely used both in the media coverage as well possesses another quality. Atheism – the Ancient as in the academic and religious debate for The most prominent of the (so-called) "New Greek adjective átheos means 'godless' – is the recent tendencies of criticism of religion. In the Atheists" are Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, negation of the existence of God or the gods. -
System of Nature Volume
! " # $% &'()( Kitchener 2001 Table of Contents Author’s Preface ................................................ 8 Chapter I: Of Nature............................................. 11 Chapter II: Of Motion, and its Origin................................ 17 Chapter III: Of Matter: — Of its various Combinations; Of its diversified Motion; or, of the Course of Nature........................................ 25 Chapter IV: Of the Laws of Motion common to all the Beings of Nature — Of Attraction and Repulsion — Of inert Force — Of Necessity.............. 29 Chapter V: Of Order and Confusion — Of Intelligence — Of Chance. ...... 36 Chapter VI: Of Man — Of his Distinction into Moral and Physical — Of his Origin. ............................................................. 43 Chapter VII: Of the Soul, and of the Spiritual System. .................. 52 Chapter VIII: Of the Intellectual Faculties; they are all derived from the Faculty of Feeling. ...................................................... 57 Chapter IX: Of the Diversity of the Intellectual Faculties; they depend on Physical Causes, as do their Moral Qualities. The Natural Principles of Society. — Of Morals. — Of Politics. ........................................... 64 Chapter X: The Soul does not derive its Ideas from itself. It has no innate Ideas. ............................................................. 84 Chapter XI: Of the System of Man’s Free Agency...................... 98 Chapter XII: An Examination of the Opinion which pretends that the System -
The Pantheism of Goethe in Its Relation to That of Spinoza
University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations 1918 The pantheism of Goethe in its relation to that of Spinoza Hans Naether State University of Iowa Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd This work has been identified with a Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0. Material in the public domain. No restrictions on use. This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/4084 Recommended Citation Naether, Hans. "The pantheism of Goethe in its relation to that of Spinoza." MA (Master of Arts) thesis, State University of Iowa, 1918. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.xi8mcgqv Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd THE PANTHEISM OF GOETHE IN ITS RELATION TO THAT OF SPINOZA. A THESIS submitted to The Faculty of the Graduate College of the State University of Iowa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS by Hans Naether. State University of Iowa 1918. TABLE Of CONTENTS. Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION. 1-8. Chapter 2. MARKED INFLUENCES IN THE 'DEVELOPMENT OF GOETHE ’s THOUGHT. 4-13. Chapter 8. WHAT IS PANTHEISM? 14-16. ! Chapter 4. THE PANTHEISM OF GO^TBE.c"' 19-25. Chapter 5. DID SFIN07A TEACH AN IMMANENT GOD? 26-29. Chapter 6. THE RELATION OE GOETHE. TO SPIN02A . 80-47. Chapter 7. GOETHE’S C M CONCEPTION OE GOD. 46-55. Chapter 8. GCETHE.'S PHILO POPE'S IN FAUST. 46-72. Chapter S. GOETHE’S 'APPROACH TO THEISM. 73—j—96. 1. THE PANTHEISM OE GOETHE IN ITS RELATION TO THAT 0? SPINOZA. -
(2019) Revolutionary Contexts for the Quest: Jesus in the Rhetoric and Methods of Early Modern Intellectual History
\ Birch, J. C.P. (2019) Revolutionary contexts for the quest: Jesus in the rhetoric and methods of Early Modern intellectual history. Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, 17(1-2), pp. 35-80. (doi: 10.1163/17455197- 01701005) The material cannot be used for any other purpose without further permission of the publisher and is for private use only. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/187702/ Deposited on 17 September 2019 Enlighten – Research publications by members of the University of Glasgow http://eprints.gla.ac.uk REVOLUTIONARY CONTEXTS FOR THE QUEST Jesus in the Rhetoric and Methods of Early Modern Intellectual History Abstract: This article contributes to a new perspective on the historical Jesus in early modern intellectual history. This perspective looks beyond German and academic scholarship, and takes account of a plurality of religious, social, and political contexts. Having outlined avenues of research which are consistent with this approach, I focus on radicalised socio- political contexts for the emergence of 'history' as a category of analysis for Jesus. Two contexts will be discussed: the late eighteenth century, with reference to Joseph Priestley, Baron d'Holbach, and their associations with the French Revolution; and the interregnum period in seventeenth-century Britain, with reference to early Quaker controversies and the apologetic work of Henry More. I identify ideas about Jesus in those contexts which have echoed in subsequent scholarship, while challenging the notion that there is a compelling association between sympathetic historical conceptions of Jesus (as opposed to theological) and a tendency towards radical and revolutionary politics. -
Philosophy of Religion and Two Types of Atheology John R
International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 2015 Vol. 76, No. 1, 1–19, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21692327.2015.1041547 Philosophy of religion and two types of atheology John R. Shook* Philosophy Department and Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo, New York, USA (Received 12 December 2014; final version received 12 April 2015) Atheism is skeptical towards gods, and atheology advances philosophical positions defending the reasonableness of that rejection. The history of philosophy encompasses many unorthodox and irreligious movements of thought, and these varieties of unbelief deserve more exegesis and analysis than presently available. Going back to philoso- phy’s origins, two primary types of atheology have dominated the advancement of atheism, yet they have not cooperated very well. Materialist philosophies assemble cosmologies that leave nothing for gods to do, while skeptical philosophies find conceptions of god to be too unintelligible or unsupported by evidence to warrant credibility. The origins and genealogies of these two atheologies are sketched and compared over many centuries down to present-day atheism, which still displays signs of this internecine divide between confident naturalists and agnostic skeptics. Keywords: atheism; agnosticism; theology; atheology; skepticism; materialism Five centuries of European and American freethinking has resulted in the emergence and flourishing of religious criticism, secular philosophizing, and skepticism towards gods. Distinguishing and correlating the resulting forms of freethought, tracking disagreements and alliances between them as carefully as describing their antagonism against religion, is a project still under development. Secularists occasionally produce synopses about their intellectual heritage, but they rarely overcome parochial instincts. Proud narratives about reason’s predestined ascendency and worshipful hagiography about bold atheists are typical formats to the present day.1 Telling unbelief’s side of the story was necessary, of course. -
An Enlightening Compendium
An Enlightening Compendium Excerpts From - The Enlightenment A Secular Mini-Journal for Inquiring Minds By Donald A. Hatch Table of Contents Introduction 5 Imagine – By John Lennon 8 Section I - Humanism What is Humanism – By Dr. Rod Martin 9 Are You a Humanist? – By Duncan Watterworth 15 Humanist Associations – DAH 16 Humanist of the Year – About Pat Duffy Hutcheon 16 Amazing Life – By Pat Duffy Hutcheon 18 The Long Past of Humanism – By Dr. Rod Martin 19 Humanist Blessings – DAH 24 Five Humanists of Note 25 Mary Wollstonecraft – By Adriaan Mak 25 Percy Bysshe Shelly – DAH 26 Simone de Beauvoire – DAH 27 Richard Dawkins – DAH 28 Christopher Hitchens – DAH 29 The Human in Humanism – By Dr. Rod Martin 30 Faith, Reason and Atheism – By Dr. Rod martin 36 Life is a Stream Evolving – By Pat Duffy Hutcheon 40 Section II - Secularism Suma Secularia – DAH 41 The Advantages of Secular Societies – DAH 46 A Tale of Two Societies -Scandinavian and American – DAH 48 Secularism as Guarantor of Social Harmony – By Dagmar Gontard Zelenkova 50 How to be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom – By Jaques Berlinerblau 52 Godless – By Dan Barker 55 Living the Secular Life – By Phil Zuckerman 57 Free Thinkers: A History of American Free Thinkers – By Susan Jacoby 58 Atheism For Dummies – By Dale McGowan 59 Section III - Science The Pale Blue Dot – By Carl Sagan 62 Ann Druyan’s Comments on Her Husband’s Death 62 What an Amazing Wonder – This Pale Blue Dot – DAH 63 What a Wonderful World – By Luis Armstrong 68 Science Versus Metaphysics and Theology -
Sensible Instruments Conference Draft 1
Sensible Instruments: Remaking Society through the Body in the French Enlightenment Carolyn Purnell Introduction: The Philosopher-Instrument and the Culture of Sensibility 3 Part One: Sensibility Chapter One. 20 The Troubling Essence of Feeling: The Stable Characteristics of Sensibility A Brief History of Sensible Medicine A Brief History of Sensationalist Philosophy Establishing the Stable Characteristics 1) Sensibility Was a Faculty Involving a Perceptual Act 2) Sensibility Linked the Physical, Mental, and Moral 3) Sensibility Was Manipulable 4) Sensibility Functioned Economically Conclusion Chapter Two. 57 Simple Pleasures: The Ocular Harpsichord and the Stabilization of the Discourse of Sensibility Louis-Bertrand Castel and the Theory of Color-Music The Relationship of the Harpsichord to the Discourse of Sensibility 1) The Simple Agreement Model of Pleasure 2) The Je ne sais quoi 3) Education and Habit in Castel’s System 4) Fatigue and Economic Functioning Conclusion Chapter Three. 95 Castel Redux: Instrumentalizing the Sensible The Material History of the Harpsichord and its Seven Pleasures Resituating the Ocular Harpsichord within the Discourse of Sensibility Conclusion Part Two: Instruments Chapter Four. 130 All that is Pleasant and Useful: Regimens of Talent and Political Economic Improvement Connections Between Animal Economy and Political Economy Antoine Le Camus: Systematizing Non-Natural Regimens to Create Hommes d’Esprit The Maison d’Education of Jean Verdier Valentin Haüy and the Institut des jeunes avegules Conclusion Chapter Five. 179 Charged with Feeling: Medical Electricity and the Social Incorporation of the Useful Individual Electricity and Sensibility: Applications and Connections 1 Paralysis and Electricity The First Wave: The Académie royale des Sciences and the Hôtel des Invalides The Second Wave: Mauduyt’s Trials for the Sociéte royale de médecine Conclusion: Patients’ and Doctors’ Perspectives on the Treatment’s Efficacy Chapter Six. -
Atheism Course Syllabus for Young Scholars in American Religion (Fall 2019)
Atheism Course Syllabus for Young Scholars in American Religion (Fall 2019) Joseph Blankholm Department of Religious Studies University of California, Santa Barbara Institutional and Curricular Setting: The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is a public research university and one of 10 campuses comprising the University of California system. As of 2019, the school enrolled just over 23,000 undergraduates and just under 3,000 graduate students. 85% of those undergraduates are from California, and more than 40% will be the first in their family to graduate from a 4-year college; 36% are white, 30% Latinx, 28% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 5% black. The school is officially designated a Hispanic Serving Institution, which means that at least 25% of its student body is Hispanic. With strong departments across the sciences, humanities, and fine arts, UCSB ranked as the 5th-best public university in the country in 2019 according to US News & World Report. The university is on the quarter system, with three 10-week quarters stretching from late September through early June. Geographically, the university is located on the Pacific coast, 10 miles outside of downtown Santa Barbara. Formed in 1964, UCSB’s Department of Religious Studies has been among the pioneers of the secular study of religion and has built its reputation on its theoretical rigor, its wide range of specializations, its diverse language offerings, and its focus on the fringes of what is traditionally considered religious. It offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees, and with 25 tenure-track faculty, is the largest Religious Studies department in the University of California system.