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A Short History of Freethought Ancient and Modern, Volume 1 of 2 / Third edition, Revised and Expanded, in two volumes — J. M. Robertson

A Short History of Freethought Ancient and Modern, Volume 1 of 2 / Third edition, Revised and Expanded, in two volumes

J. M. Robertson

  • History
  • Book language: English
  • 623 pages

A Short History of Freethought Ancient and Modern is a historical survey by John M. Robertson, tracing freethought, scepticism and rationalist criticism of religious authority from antiquity onward. Volume One covers the origins and meaning of the term, earlier histories, the psychology of freethinking and primitive freethinking. It will interest listeners following the development of secular and rationalist ideas.

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Cover of the original edition (Project Gutenberg, public domain).

Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.

Opening of the book

Original Title Page.
A SHORT
HISTORY OF FREETHOUGHT
A SHORT HISTORY
OF

FREETHOUGHT
ANCIENT AND MODERN
BY JOHN M. ROBERTSON
THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND EXPANDED
IN TWO VOLUMES
Vol. I
(ISSUED FOR THE RATIONALIST PRESS
ASSOCIATION, LIMITED)
London:
WATTS & CO.,
JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1915

TO
SYDNEY ANSELL GIMSON
CONTENTS
VOLUME I
PAGE
Preface        xi
Chap. I—Introductory
§ 1. Origin and
Meaning of
the word
Freethought
1
§ 2. Previous
histories
10
§ 3. The
Psychology
of
Freethinking 15
Chap. II—Primitive Freethinking        22

Chap. III—Progress under Ancient Religions
§ 1. Early
Association
and
Competition
of Cults
44
§ 2. The Process
in India
48
§ 3. Mesopotamia 61
§ 4. Ancient
Persia
65
§ 5. Egypt
69
§ 6. Phoenicia
78
§ 7. Ancient
China
82
§ 8. Mexico and
Peru
88
§ 9. The
Common
Forces of
Degeneration 91
Chap. IV—Relative Freethought in Israel
§ 1. The Early
Hebrews
97
§ 2. The
manipulated
prophetic
literature
104
§ 3. The PostExilic
Literature
109
Chap. V—Freethought in Greece        120

§ 1. Beginnings
of Ionic
Culture
123
§ 2. Homer,
Stesichoros,
Pindar, and
Æschylus
126
§ 3. The CultureConditions
134
§ 4. From Thales
to the Eleatic
School
136
§ 5. Pythagoras
and Magna
Graecia
148
§ 6. Anaxagoras,
Perikles, and
Aspasia
152
§ 7. From
Demokritos
to Euripides
157
§ 8. Sokrates,
Plato, and
Aristotle
168

§ 9. PostAlexandrian
Greece:
Ephoros,
Pyrrho,
Zeno,
Epicurus,
Theodorus,
Diagoras,
Stilpo, Bion,
Strato,
Evêmeros,
Carneades,
Clitomachos;
The
Sciences;
Advance and
Decline of
Astronomy;
Lucian,
Sextus
Empiricus,
Polybius,
Strabo;
Summary
180
Chap. VI—Freethought in ancient Rome
§ 1. Culture
Beginnings,
to Ennius
and the
Greeks
194
§ 2. Lucretius,
Cicero,
Cæsar
201
§ 3. Decline
under the
Empire
207

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Contents

  1. CONTENTS
  2. PREFACE
  3. A SHORT HISTORY OF FREETHOUGHT Chapter I INTRODUCTORY
  4. Chapter II PRIMITIVE FREETHINKING
  5. Chapter III PROGRESS UNDER ANCIENT RELIGIONS
  6. Chapter IV RELATIVE FREETHOUGHT IN ISRAEL
  7. Chapter V FREETHOUGHT IN GREECE
  8. Chapter VI FREETHOUGHT IN ANCIENT ROME
  9. Chapter VII ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY AND ITS OPPONENTS
  10. Chapter VIII FREETHOUGHT UNDER ISLAM1
  11. Chapter IX CHRISTENDOM IN THE MIDDLE AGES
  12. Chapter X FREETHOUGHT IN THE RENAISSANCE
  13. Chapter XI THE REFORMATION, POLITICALLY CONSIDERED
  14. Chapter XII THE REFORMATION AND FREETHOUGHT
  15. Chapter XIII THE RISE OF MODERN FREETHOUGHT
  16. Colophon
  17. THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE

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