Atheism in the Middle Ages
Details
It is sometimes said that atheism in pre-modern times was simply impossible. This claim, supposedly made by the great French literary historian Lucien Febvre, is now routinely dismissed by historians of atheism. But Febvre’s point was subtler than that. He was well aware that medieval and sixteenth-century Europeans frequently attacked religion, sometimes in scabrous terms, and that they readily accused one another of unbelief. His point was simply that these attacks and accusations had no substance. They were simply imaginings of what atheism might be.
We will use the first chapter of Alec Ryrie's book, Unbelievers (it starts on p. 19 of the PDF).
You can also watch his lecture (it's exactly the same material).
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How has unbelief come to dominate so many Western societies? The usual account invokes the advance of science and rational knowledge. Ryrie’s alternative, in which emotions are the driving force, offers new and interesting insights into our past and present. (Charles Taylor)
Ryrie traces the root of religious skepticism to the anger, the anxiety, and the ‘desperate search for certainty’ that drove thinkers like…John Donne to grapple with church dogma. (New Yorker)
An elegant and canny book. (Wall Street Journal)
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This group grapples with the history of ideas and science. We will look at both primary sources and the works of historians.
The organizer is not an expert but has a long experience in organizing similar meetings. He also has an Oxford PhD in European History as well as a Cambridge MPhil on the same discipline. He currently teaches foreign languages.
Future Meetings:
September 29: The Amish and Technology
October 13: Voltaire's Candide
Atheism in the Middle Ages