Elihu Palmer (1764 1806) was a little-known freethinker who, even after losing his vision, remained active in the intellectual debates of his time. Palmer emerged as one of the leading exponents of deism in the First American Republic. Drawing upon thinkers such as Locke, Hume, Rousseau, and Jefferson.
Elihu Palmer: A Forgotten Voice of Deism Read Post »
![“Reason against unreason” a 1882 illustration by Joseph Keppler and Adolph Schwarzmann shows the “Light of Reason”, containing bust portraits of “Johannes Kepler, I. Kant, Thomas Paine, Jefferson, B. de Spinoza, Franklin, Voltaire, E.H. Haeckel, Tyndall, Huxley, [and] Darwin”, beaming against a large umbrella labeled “Bigotry, Supernaturalism, [and] Fanaticism” – Library of Congress](https://i0.wp.com/thomaspaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Reason-against-unreason.jpg?fit=667%2C1024&ssl=1)
In a February 15 talk at the Paine Memorial Building in New Rochelle, Dr. Carvalho said, “By criticizing the adulterous connection between church and state… Paine had devastating effects on the governments using religion to maintain hierarchies and oppression.”
Brazilian Scholar Discusses Age of Reason and Democracy Read Post »
Lukin identified the 32 books most often banned worldwide. Two of those books, Rights of Man and The Age of Reason, were authored by Paine. As true from Common Sense forward, governments purporting to support democracy and free speech will resist the radical impact of Paine’s thoughts.
Banning Thomas Paine Read Post »
Paine, Scripture, and Authority is an important work, particularly as it is the first book for many years to focus on The Age of Reason. Yet for all its value it pays too much attention to what the authors see as Paine’s personal motivation
It is a bit of a paradox that some atheists are the most ardent admirers of Thomas Paine and his many faceted life, yet he made it abundantly clear that he believed in one god and that Quakerism left an indelible mark on him in many ways.
A Few Thoughts On Atheism And Religion Read Post »
The first edition of Thomas Paine’s controversial work The Age of Reason has long been a bibliographical enigma. There are many contenders for priority, published in French or English and dated either 1794 of “1 An II” of the French Revolutionary Calendar.
The First Appearance Of Thomas Paine’s The Age Of Reason Read Post »
On 6 March, 1812, Daniel Isaac Eaton, the so-called “infidel bookseller”, stood before the Court of King’s Bench charged with publishing what was known as the third part of Thomas Paine’s, The Age of Reason – a work the Attorney-General saw as “a libel”.
Daniel Isaac Eaton’s Prosecution For The Third Part Of The Age Of Reason Read Post »
Although described as being in poor condition, the fact of it having been published in Canada intrigued me, for while I have seen many editions of this famous work originating from many lands, I had never seen a Canadian edition of Paine’s The Age of Reason.
The First Canadian Edition Of The Age Of Reason? Read Post »
Reactions to Paine have coloured the understanding and appreciation of him, and he has been recognised as primarily a political or religious figure, but there is an important feature of his work which has long been neglected, his interest in science.
Science And Thomas Paine Read Post »
Paine admired the teachings of Jesus, and he went to great lengths to free them from smothering additions, which had been drawn from the mythology of ancient cults and grafted onto them by the churchmakers who usurped Jesus’s role of teacher.
THOMAS PAINE: THE METHODIST INFLUENCE Read Post »
