The Age of Reason

by Thomas Paine, Moncure Daniel Conway (Editor)

Overview

"Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst," declared Thomas Paine, adding, "every other species of tyranny is limited to the world we live in; but this attempts to stride beyond the grave, and seeks to pursue us into eternity." Paine's years of study and reflection on the role of religion in society culminated with his final work, The Age of Reason. This coolly reasoned polemic influenced religious thinking throughout the world at the dawn of the nineteenth century, and its resonance remains undiminished by time. The selfsame humanist and egalitarian views that made Paine a popular figure of the American Revolution brought him into frequent conflict with political authorities. Parts of The Age of Reason were written in a French jail, where Paine was confined for his opposition to the execution of Louis XVI. An attack on revealed religion from the deist point of view -- embodied by Paine's credo, "I believe in one God, and no more" -- this work undertakes a hitherto unheard-of approach to Bible study. Its critical and objective examination of Old and New Testaments cites numerous contradictions as evidence against literal interpretations of the text. Well articulated and eminently readable, The Age of Reason is a classic of free thought.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486130996
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	02/08/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Lexile:	1340L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Kerry Walters is Professor of Philosophy at Gettysburg College. He has published numerous books on Christianity, and particularly on religion in early America.

Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Bibliographical Note,
Copyright Page,
[Original title.] - THE AGE OF REASON BEING,
TO MY FELLOW CITIZENS - OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.,
THE AGE OF REASON. - EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION.,
I. - THE AGE OF REASON.,
CHAPTER I. - THE AUTHOR'S PROFESSION OF FAITH.,
CHAPTER II. - OF MISSIONS AND REVELATIONS.,
CHAPTER III. - CONCERNING THE CHARACTER OF JESUS CHRIST, AND HIS HISTORY.,
CHAPTER IV. - OF THE BASES OF CHRISTIANITY.,
CHAPTER V. - EXAMINATION IN DETAIL OF THE PRECEDING BASES.,
CHAPTER VI. - OF THE TRUE THEOLOGY.,
CHAPTER VII. - EXAMINATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.,
CHAPTER VIII. - OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.,
CHAPTER IX. - IN WHAT THE TRUE REVELATION CONSISTS.,
CHAPTER X. - CONCERNING GOD, AND THE LIGHTS CAST ON HIS EXISTENCE AND ATTRIBUTES BY THE BIBLE.,
CHAPTER XI. - OF THE THEOLOGY OF THE CHRISTIANS; AND THE TRUE THEOLOGY.,
CHAPTER XII. - THE EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANISM ON EDUCATION. PROPOSED REFORMS.,
CHAPTER XIII. - COMPARISON OF CHRISTIANISM WITH THE RELIGIOUS IDEAS INSPIRED BY NATURE.,
CHAPTER XIV. - SYSTEM OF THE UNIVERSE.,
CHAPTER XV. - ADVANTAGES OF THE EXISTENCE OF MANY WORLDS IN EACH SOLAR SYSTEM.,
CHAPTER XVI. - APPLICATION OF THE PRECEDING TO THE SYSTEM OF THE CHRISTIANS.,
CHAPTER XVII. - OF THE MEANS EMPLOYED IN ALL TIME, AND ALMOST UNIVERSALLY, TO DECEIVE THE PEOPLES.,
II. - THE AGE OF REASON.,
PREFACE.,
CHAPTER I. - THE OLD TESTAMENT.,
CHAPTER II. - THE NEW TESTAMENT.,
CHAPTER III. - CONCLUSION.,
III. - LETTERS CONCERNING "THE AGE OF REASON.",
1. - AN ANSWER TO A FRIEND.,
II. - CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE HON. SAMUEL ADAMS.,
CATALOG OF DOVER BOOKS,

Editorial Reviews

There are many editions of The Age of Reason available for students and modern readers. Kerry Walters’ Broadview Edition is the best. It combines an astute introduction with up-to-the-moment bibliographic material. Walters also illuminates crucial aspects of the book and its arguments with hard-to-find contemporary documents that put Paine’s work in an international context.” — Bruce Kuklick, University of Pennsylvania

“Kerry Walters’ new edition of Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason, along with its collection of pre- and post-publication material, is an invaluable addition to the Paine library. Most impressive is Walters’s eloquent and lucid introduction, which concisely places Paine’s Deism in the greater context of the British and French Enlightenment. It is an indispensable edition for undergraduate and graduate students studying history, philosophy, the history of religion, and the psychology of social ideas.” — Jack Fruchtman Jr., Towson University

From the Publisher

"Kerry Walters' new edition of Thomas Paine's Age of Reason, along with its collection of pre- and post-publication material, is an invaluable addition to the Paine library. Most impressive is Walters's eloquent and lucid introduction, which concisely places Paine's Deism in the greater context of the British and French Enlightenment. It is an indispensable edition for undergraduate and graduate students studying history, philosophy, the history of religion, and the psychology of social ideas."

Jack Fruchtman Jr. Towson University

"There are many editions of The Age of Reason available for students and modern readers. Kerry Walters' Broadview Edition is the best. It combines an astute introduction with up-to-the-moment bibliographic material. Walters also illuminates crucial aspects of the book and its arguments with hard-to-find contemporary documents that put Paine's work in an international context."

Bruce Kuklick University of Pennsylvania