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'Essay of Atheism', 1625
Wrote the Boyle lecture series, 1692
'A Blow at Modern Sadducism', 1668:
In reaffirming the existence of God, Bentley acknowledges the existence of non-believers.
1) Finding positive, written works by openly professed non-believers is very difficult.
2) Very few publicly defended 'atheism'
So, did atheism exist by the 17th-century?
Analysing two types of primary sources:
1) Literature by suspected atheists
2) Literature commenting on or refuting people who did not believe in God
Before that, we shall discuss what other historians have written on the subject
Most works on the history of atheism are broad narratives which do not study one nation or short period.
Our project contributes a specific, in-depth study to the debate, offering 17th-century England as a case study.
How did we get to the society we live in today:
People were often falsely accused of being atheists - belief judged on action.
Ambiguity of primary sources
The word 'atheist' could be used to mean many things
Burman: Denials of atheism prove the existence of atheists.
Thomas: Multiple examples of people who denied the existence of God. Seems to think it likely that atheists existed.
It is almost certain that numerous atheists existed in 17th-century England
Impious Christian
Whilst there were no written works by avowed atheists, the increasing number of works written about atheism suggests that it was growing
Someone who did not believe in God
Any kind of immorality or non-conformity
By 1700, an 'atheist' was widely understood to be someone who did not believe in God
'The Wisdom of God', 1700:
Ray suggests atheism is an alternative to religion. Notably, he also discusses the possibility that religion might be false.
Man will 'at last come to this, that there must be... one first mover; that is, a first and eternal cause of all things; which is that which men mean by the name of God'
D.Wootton: Leviathan is designed to carefully undermine religion. 'It is clear that Hobbes is using... contradiction to communicate something by implication'.
AP.Martinich: Dismissed Hobbes' writings as a product of the Reformation, inspired by Calvin, and similar to other writers of his time.
Religion created out of fear:
'there are no signs nor fruit of religion but in man only, there is no cause to doubt the the seed of religion is also in man'
Mocks the diversity of religion:
'[religion] hath grown up into ceremonies so different that those which are used by one man are for the most part ridiculous to another'
Men will always conclude that God exists
Frontispiece, Leviathan
Definitely presents some unorthodox views.
But hard to say for certain
More important is the reaction to his work.
Many attacked him for being an 'atheist', and their usage of the term implies that atheism existed.
Religious equality & tolerance except for atheists.
'those are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God... The taking away of God... dissolves all'.
'we should hear, more than we do, of [atheism], from others, did not fear of the Magistrate's Sword'
'Letter Concerning Toleration', 1685
Pierre Bayle began to suggest private atheists could be pacific and virtuous.
However, the majority agreed with Locke that atheism was unacceptable and dangerous.
Nevertheless, all seem to agree that atheists existed. This debate indicates that atheism had become a significant issue in society.
'Essay Concerning Human Understanding', 1689