The Original Atheists (Paperback)

S.T. Joshi

ISBN 10: 1616148411 / ISBN 13: 9781616148416

Published by Prometheus Books, Amherst, 2014

About this Item

Paperback. A unique anthology of skeptical essays on religion by eighteenth-century thinkers who questioned the reigning orthodoxy and raised doubts about belief in God. This is the first anthology ever published to feature the writings of leading eighteenth-century thinkers on the subjects of atheism, religion, freethought, and secularism. Editor S. T. Joshi has compiled notable essays by writers from France, England, and early America. The contributors include Denis Diderot (a principal author of the multivolume French Encyclopedie), Baron d'Holbach (System of Nature, 1770), Voltaire (Philosophical Dictionary), David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ethan Allen, Thomas Paine, and other lesser-known thinkers. With a comprehensive introduction providing the intellectual and cultural context of the essays, this outstanding compilation will be of interest to students of philosophy, religious studies, and eighteenth-century intellectual history. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781616148416

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Original Atheists (Paperback)
• Publisher: Prometheus Books, Amherst
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1616148411
• ISBN 13: 9781616148416
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This is the first anthology ever published to feature the writings of leading eighteenth-century thinkers on the subjects of atheism, religion, freethought, and secularism.

Editor S. T. Joshi has compiled notable essays by writers from Germany, France, England, and early America. The contributors include Denis Diderot (a principal author of the multivolume French Encyclopédie), Baron d'Holbach (System of Nature, 1770), Voltaire (Philosophical Dictionary), David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ethan Allen, Thomas Paine, and other lesser-known thinkers.
     With a comprehensive introduction providing the intellectual and cultural context of the essays, this outstanding compilation will be of interest to students of philosophy, religious studies, and eighteenth-century intellectual history.

About the Author

S. T. Joshi (Seattle, WA) is a freelance writer, scholar, and editor. He is also editor of the American Rationalist. His previous books include The Unbelievers- The Evolution of Modern Atheism; Documents of American Prejudice; In Her Place- A Documentary History of Prejudice against Women; God's Defenders- What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong; Atheism- A Reader; H. L. Mencken on Religion; The Agnostic Reader; and What Is Man? And Other Irreverent Essays by Mark Twain.