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Audio Source: Librivox, Public Domain
The Age of Reason
Thomas PAINE (1737 - 1809) The
Age of Reason; Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology is a
pamphlet, written by a British and American revolutionary Thomas Paine.
The Age of Reason challenges institutionalized religion and challenges
the legitimacy of the Bible, the central sacred text of Christianity.
Published in three parts in 1794, 1795, and 1807, it was a bestseller in
the United States, where it caused a short-lived deistic revival.
Part
1 was written sometime in 1793, and attacks the concepts of divine
revelation and inspiration. He urged his readers to employ reason over
revelation. Part 2 was written either during or shortly after his
confinement in a French prison in 1794. In Part 2, Paine attacks the
reliability of the Bible and points out numerous absurdities and
contradictions. Part 3 was written in the United States sometime around
1800 but he delayed publication until 1807 for fears of violent
backlash. Part 3 is an examination and rejection of the claims of
prophecies concerning Jesus Christ. Although these arguments were
commonly known amongst the educated elite, Paine wrote in simple and
irreverent prose that was easily accessible to a mass audience. Paine
argued against religion as it is revealed in the Bible, but he argued
just as strongly for a Deistic religion and a Creator of Reason.
This
Librivox recording of The Age of Reason is taken from Richard Carlile’s
anthology of Paine’s writings, published in 1818. Carlile charged one
shilling and sixpence for the work, and the first run of 1,000 copies
sold out in a month. He immediately published a second edition of 3,000
copies. In 1819, Carlile was found guilty of blasphemy and seditious
libel and sentenced to three years in Dorchester Gaol with a fine of
£1,500. The prosecutions surrounding the printing of The Age of Reason
in Britain continued for thirty years after its initial release and
encompassed numerous publishers as well as over a hundred booksellers.
(Summary by JoeD and wikipedia)
Genre(s): *Non-fiction, Philosophy, Political Science
Common Sense
Thomas PAINE (1737 - 1809) Thomas
Paine has a claim to the title The Father of the American Revolution
because of Common Sense, the pro-independence monograph pamphlet he
anonymously published on January 10, 1776; signed "Written by an
Englishman", the pamphlet became an immediate success. It quickly spread
among the literate, and, in three months, 100,000 copies (estimated
500,000 total including pirated editions sold during the course of the
Revolution) sold throughout the American British colonies (with only two
million free inhabitants), making it the best-selling book ever.
Paine's original title for the pamphlet was Plain Truth; Paine's friend,
pro-independence advocate Benjamin Rush, suggested Common Sense
instead. The pamphlet appeared in January 1776, after the Revolution
had started. It was passed around, and often read aloud in taverns,
contributing significantly to spreading the idea of republicanism,
bolstering enthusiasm for separation from Britain, and encouraging
recruitment for the Continental Army. Paine provided a new and
convincing argument for independence by advocating a complete break with
history. Common Sense is oriented to the future in a way that compels
the reader to make an immediate choice. It offers a solution for
Americans disgusted and alarmed at the threat of tyranny. (Introduction
by Wikipedia)
Genre(s): Political Science
Rights Of Man
Thomas PAINE (1737 - 1809) A
book in 2 Parts, published in 1791 and 1792. Part First denounces
Edmund Burke’s defense of monarchy and his attacks against the French
Revolution, and in plain layman’s language traces the birth and fallacy
of monarchy, and the source of man's inalienable rights. Part Second
examines the roots and benefits of constitutional government. Written
with Paine's dry wit and hard hitting logic, in layman's language, the
book was widely circulated in Europe and America. Considered the
earliest complete statement of republican principles, Paine opposes the
idea of hereditary kings and speaks against the belief in dictatorial
government as necessary to a well-managed society. Paine's visionary
call for republicanism and social welfare was generations ahead of its
time, and landed him in prison and narrowly escaping the guillotine!
NOTE: Long chapters of this document have been divided into Parts to
comply with audio file size requirements. While not designated thus by
Paine, every effort has been made to create logical divisions.( ~
Summary by Michele Fry) There were two proof listeners for this book:
Michele Fry and AdeledePignerolles