Saints Heretics And Atheists
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Saints, Heretics, and Atheists
Based on lectures from a popular course taught in the Program for General Education at Harvard University for over a decade, Saints, Heretics, and Atheists invites readers along for a journey that is unique in its sweeping historical approach to the philosophy of religion and the balance it strikes between traditional, non-traditional, and atheistic standpoints with respect to religion in the western tradition.
Time Traveling With Science and the Saints
Author: George A. Erickson
language: en
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Release Date: 2010-10-05
For sixteen centuries Christianity dominated Western culture, during which time a powerful church rigidly and sometimes ruthlessly imposed its dogma. Under these conditions progressive thinkers who departed from the Christian worldview encountered stiff opposition from ecclesiastical authorities. Persecution by both church and state as a means of stifling heretics became routine.Using the biblical dictum, ôby their fruits shall ye know themö (Mt. 7:20), humanist George Erickson surveys the historical record of the defenders of faith and the proponents of reason. His analysis challenges the commonly held belief that despite its many abuses religion on balance civilized the world. Beginning with the unfettered progress of science in pre-Christian, polytheistic societies, he notes that this progress was soon actively thwarted by the growing Christian throng. Aided by the carrot-and-stick appeal of heaven and hell, missionary passion, superstitions, and miracles, Christianity gradually overwhelmed its religious competitors while simultaneously working to destroy all interest in scientific reasoning.Yet even amidst these suffocating, often bloody conditions, certain individuals doggedly pursued new and dangerous, frequently heretical scientific research, sometimes at the risk of their lives. Erickson briefly profiles such pioneers as Giordano Bruno, Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, Linnaeus, and others. While condemning the Christianity that produced such abominations as the Inquisition and witch hunts, Erickson concludes on an optimistic note, emphasizing that science and secular society have broken free from centuries of religious opposition, and continue to benefit the world through mass education, modern medicine, and technological progress.George A. Erickson (New Brighton, MN) is a former director of the American Humanist Association, a member of the Council for Secular Humanism and the National Center for Science Education, and the author of a pro-science, pro-freethought travel adventure book titled True North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane.
Heresy: Its Utility And Morality. A Plea And A Justification
In "Heresy: Its Utility and Morality. A Plea and a Justification," Charles Bradlaugh delves into the intricate relationship between heresy and societal progress. Written in a compelling rhetorical style, the work critiques prevailing dogmas while advocating for intellectual freedom and moral autonomy. Bradlaugh employs both logical argumentation and vivid examples from history, emphasizing the essential role heresy plays in the advancement of thought and ethics. The book serves as a clarion call for the value of dissent in a conformist society, rendering it not merely a challenge to orthodoxy but a necessary catalyst for growth and enlightenment. Charles Bradlaugh, a prominent 19th-century social reformer and defender of atheism, faced considerable societal backlash for his radical views, which undoubtedly shaped his writing. As a founder of the National Secular Society and an outspoken advocate for civil liberties, his personal experiences with censorship and persecution informed his belief in heresy as an essential component of moral philosophy. His life of activism, embedded within the broader currents of Victorian rationalism and liberal thought, lends profound weight to his arguments. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of philosophy, ethics, and social reform. Bradlaugh's incisive analysis of heresy'Äôs role not only challenges readers to reconsider their views on dissent but also provides a robust framework for understanding the moral imperatives underpinning the quest for truth. Engage with heresy anew and discover its transformative potential.