The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers, by
Charles Bradlaugh, A. Collins, and J. Watts

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Title: Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers
Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With
The Freethinkers."

Author: Charles Bradlaugh, A. Collins, and J. Watts

Editor: Charles Bradlaugh (AKA "Iconoclast")

Release Date: October 6, 2009 [EBook #30200]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CELEBRATED FREETHINKERS ***

Produced by David Widger

ANCIENT AND MODERN

CELEBRATED FREETHINKERS.

REPRINTED FROM AN ENGLISH WORK, ENTITLED

"HALF-HOURS WITH THE FREETHINKERS."

By "Iconoclast.", A. Collins, and J. Watts

("Iconoclast", pseud. of Charles Bradlaugh.)

Edited by "Iconoclast,"

Boston

Published By J. P. Mendum

1877.

CONTENTS:

EDITORS' PREFACE.

THOMAS HOBBES.

LORD BOLINGBROKE.

CONDORCET.

SPINOZA.

ANTHONY COLLINS.

DES CARTES.

M. DE VOLTAIRE.

JOHN TOLAND.

COMPTE DE VOLNEY.

CHARLES BLOUNT.

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY.

CLAUD ARIAN HELVETIUS.

FRANCES W. D'ARUSMONT.

EPICURUS

ZENO, THE STOIC

MATTHEW TINDAL.

DAVID HUME

DR. THOMAS BURNET

THOMAS PAINE.

BAPTISTE DE MIRABAUD

BARON D'HOLBACH.

ROBERT TAYLOR.

JOSEPH BARKER.

EDITORS' PREFACE.

In these pages, appearing under the title of "Half-Hours with the
Freethinkers," are collected in a readable form an abstract of the lives
and doctrines of some of those who have stood foremost in the ranks of
Free-thought in all countries and in all ages; and we trust that our
efforts to place in the hands of the poorest of our party a knowledge
of works and workers--some of which and whom would otherwise be out of
their reach--will be received by all in a favorable light. We shall,
in the course of our publication, have to deal with many writers whose
opinions widely differ from our own, and it shall be our care to deal
with them _justly_ and in all cases to allow them to utter in their own
words their essent