A history of atheism in Britain : from Hobbes to Russell / David Berman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berman, David, 1942- author.

Series:

Routledge library editions. Philosophy of religion.

Routledge Library Editions: Philosophy of Religion ; Volume 3

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Atheism--Great Britain--History.

Atheism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (443 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Probably no doctrine has excited as much horror and abuse as atheism. This first history of British atheism, first published in 1987, tries to explain this reaction while exhibiting the development of atheism from Hobbes to Russell. Although avowed atheism appeared surprisingly late - 1782 in Britain - there were covert atheists in the middle seventeenth century. By tracing its development from so early a date, Dr Berman gives an account of an important and fascinating strand of intellectual history.

Contents:

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Original Title Page; Original Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Preface; Dedication; 1. The Repression of Atheism; I. Doubts and denials of atheism; II. Self-fulfilling denials; III. The crucial clash: Balguy and Curteis; IV. Thomas Wise's 'mixt atheism': a key to repression; V. Indirect and inadvertent denials: Bentley and Cudworth; VI. Freud and the crucial clash; VII. An atheist doubts his atheism; VIII. Linguistic analogues and Schopenhauer's explanation; IX. Herbert and Fotherby; X. The 1697 Act for repressing atheism

XI. Repression and suppressionXII. Conclusion; Notes; 2. Restoration Atheists: Foundling Followers of Hobbes; I. Acts against atheism; II. Robertson and Bentley; III. Informers of atheism; IV. Lord Rochester, apostate atheist; V. Hobbes's denial of atheism and Scargill's confession of atheism; VI. The atheistic exploitation of the anti-Hobbes literature; VII. Hobbes's atheism; Notes; 3. Anthony Collin's Atheology; I. The deist interpretation; II. Collins's atheism: the external evidence; III. Difficulties in identifying atheism; IV. The existence of atheists: opposing tendencies

V. The atheistic argument from the eternity of matterVI. Second approach to Collins's atheism: his 'vindication' of the divine attributes and Christian prophecies; Notes; 4. The Suppression of 'Atheism'; I. Count Radicati; II. Charles Gildon; III. Blackmore and Berkeley; IV. Hume's atheism; V. Concluding remarks; Notes; 5. The Birth of Avowed Atheism: 1782-1797; I. The first declaration; II. Hammon and Turner; III. The Answer's atheism; IV. Watson refuted; V. Metaphysical atheism; VI. Atheism against deism; Notes; 6. Shelley's Deicide; I. The fourth act; II. Denials of Shelley's atheism

III. Shelley and the repressive tendencyIV. Shelley's system; Notes; 7. The Struggle of Theoretical Atheism over Practical Atheism; I. Atheism and the theoretical/practical distinction; II. The orthodox position: Locke and Berkeley; III. Prevalence of the orthodox position; IV. The anti-orthodox position: Bayle and Shaftesbury; V. Variations and transitions in the early eighteenth century; VI. Hume's anti-orthodoxy; VII. Late eighteenth-century compromises and vacillation; Notes; 8. The Causes of Atheism; I. The triumph of theoretical over practical atheism: the Answer

II. The birth of Shelley's atheismIII. Hogg's role in the birth of atheism; Notes; 9. The Atheists: 1822-1842; I. The Analysis; II. Grote's atheism; III. Richard Carlile; IV. Southwell and Holyoake; Notes; 10. Militant and Academic Atheism; I. Holyoake and Bradlaugh; II. The thorough atheist; III. G.E. Moore; IV. McTaggart; V. Russell; Notes; Epilogue: The Ethics of Unbelief; Index

Notes:

"First published in 1988"--T.p. verso.

Description based on online resource; title from title page (ebrary, viewed May 24, 2013).

ISBN:

1-135-97564-7

1-135-97557-4

0-203-53616-9

9780203536162

OCLC:

842882004