The History & Advantages of Freethought

Presented by William Merriman

About the Speaker

About the Event

Announcements

We had perhaps a record number of attendees for a regular meeting this time; about 50. We welcome the first timers and are glad to see the regulars. Parking passes are validated for free parking in the Ellis lot across from where we meet.

Our website and contact information is http://www.cfimichigan.org and or P.O. Box 9873, Wyoming, MI 49509-0873; #(616) 892-9300. Feel free to suggest a topic for discussion (or volunteer to lead one), request a membership directory, or get on our e-mail discussion list.

The schedule for the next 4 meetings is as follows:

JANUARY 24: “Surely We’re Different! Is there anything that separates us >from the rest of the animal kingdom? Are you sure??” Moderated by Dr. Gregory Forbes.

FEBRUARY 14: “The Ethics & Effects of Plant Biotechnology.” Modertaed by Dr. Fred Deneke.

FEBRUARY 28: “ADHD: Disease or Deception?” Moderated by Robert W. Collins, PhD, PC.

MARCH 14: “Perception.” Moderated by Charles LaRue.

All meetings are at 7PM at the downtown Grand Rapids Community College campus, in the Calkins Science Building.

Note: The January Series at Calvin College will present two items of interest to many in our group. January 17: “The Elegant Universe: Super Strings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.” Presented by Brian Greene.January 19: “The Human Embryo: Diagnosing Disease, Cloning, Stem Cell Research: We can, but should we?” Presented by Mark Hughs. Events are 12:30- 1:30PM. Directions and details are available at: http://www.calvin.edu.

It was reported that Walt Van Dam, well-known to our group in his crusade to get freethought materials into public awareness, was burned out of his apartment recently. He lost a lot of items including many cherished books.

We were asked for input regarding allying ourselves with the AHA (American Humanist Association). This would entail no costs, obligation, or changes to our group in any way and would only serve to assist us in networking. We voted in the affirmative for this.

Tim Van Haitsma talked to us about a cable public access program called “The Humanist Perspective” that he is interested in getting into his viewing area and asked if someone in the GRTV area would like to assist in getting it put on there. Tim deemed it a worthy program and said it would have a “bumper” at the beginning and end that would give info about our group.

Dennis Murphy mentioned that the Grand Rapids Press was going to publish an essay he had written on January 20. It has to do with him being a regular citizen with the same hopes, concerns, and lifestyle as most people in the community but that he is an atheist- to help dispel the myth about non-theists being very different from believers.

The new book by George H. Smith (author of Atheism, the Case Against God) was presented. It is called Why Atheism?, from Prometheus Books. Like his earlier book, this one is selling well.

Presentation

Our topic for this meeting was “The History & Advantages of Freethought” moderated by William Merriman. The text that Merriman derived his presentation from will appear on the FAOWM website. He is also working up a more thorough and in- depth dissertation, which he will post in the future in his website: http://www.iserv.net/~merriman/freethgt.htm. Due to the time constraints, Bill was able to give us only a brief survey of this topic, highlighting some important persons and events in freethought philosophy. These minutes will record an even more abbreviated run-through of his excellent presentation.

Bill began by defining terms, including “freethought” and “approach” and “movement” as seen in the phrase “Freethinking as Approach & Movement.” This movement came to fruition during the era designated as the Age of Enlightenment, a period of great intellectual awareness and activity, characterized by a questioning of authority. Its approach was that of validating beliefs and justifying social institutions on the basis of reason; asserting the right of every person to hold beliefs in accordance with their individual conscience. Bill later contrasted freethinking and authoritative dogma as ways of forming beliefs. Since our beliefs affect every choice we make, they determine the course of our lives. Therefore the approach one takes toward deriving beliefs is of vital concern for each individual and all of mankind. He provides a dialectic writing in his hand-out that shows the ramifications of these contrary concepts, depending on which is endorsed (Delusion vs Rationality, Blind Faith vs Empiricism, Indoctrination vs Free Inquiry, etc.)

Merriman focused on Enlightenment era freethinker, Anthony Collins, his times (18th century England), his circle and contribution to the freethought movement. Among this circle of contemporary influential freethinkers were John Locke, a strong champion of freedom of belief and repudiation of the divine right of kings, Daniel DeFoe, who mocked Anglican intolerance in his “The Shortest Way With Dissenters” and Denis Diderot, who organized the compilation of the massive work known as the Encyclopedie Methodique (1751), a major reference work of all secular knowledge and philosophy of the time, which Diderot planned as a repudiation of the precepts of the church/state system.

Many of the thoughts Merriman conveyed regarding the philosopher Collins were developed from his 1713 book Discourse on Freethinking. In it, Collins lays out the idea that freethinking considers the nature of evidence for or against a proposition; judging it according to the seeming force or weakness of the evidence. This innocuous seeming idea, like that of looking to nature, believing in the material essence of the mind, or using personal judgement, in lieu of authority, were all very heretical ideas in this time. Excerpts from Collins’ works: “That the stories of the devil’s power were founded on the lyes of some and the credulity of others; and that the execution of witches have been so many murders…it is a glory to freethinkers to wrest out of the priests’ hands the power of taking away so mnay innocent lives and reputations.” From his Discourse on Freethinking. “The clergy in all ages, some out of pride, inwilling to profess their ignorance; the more cunning to get power and dominion over the minds and consciences of men; have agreed to talk unintelligibly and more zealously out of ignorance.” From his “Essay concerning the Use of Reason.”

The opposition to freedom of personal conscience was enormous in that ulimate authority lay in God and, by extension, the clergy were the most authoritative disseminators of God’s Word. This divine right, sanctioned by the Church, was enforced via heresy laws, with cruel punishments. Violators could be imprisoned, tortured and/or executed. The methods of torture were excruciating and extreme. The clergy were the administrators of the universities, justifying the church/state entanglement among intellectuals by subscribing to scholasticism, where all education had to be in accord with religious precepts. Heresy and sedition were wed in this system, and any dissenting views were banned with the originators of these views severely punished. Reasoning itself, during the height of the Catholic Church’s monopoly was considered a sin of pride, and therefore contradictory to religious doctrine. There was a sharp distinction between what the “commoners” were allowed to hold or espouse as views and that of the nobles & clergy.

Bill pointed out that this control over the minds of people was not confined to distant history. The 1st university not controlled by the Church was Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia, established at the late date of 1825, and in Spain, the legal mandates of the Inquisition remained in force until as recently as 1834, slaughtering and torturing tens of thousands during its time.

Freethinking was central to the political, religious, and intellectual ideas sown during the Renaissance and Reformation. Upheavals between differing institutions during 18th century Europe saw the Protestant Movement defying the papacy and other religious groups grappling for authority and control. Scholasticism was being challenged by the discoveries of the empiricists, including Bacon, Boyles and Newton, and aided by a growing middle class that was better educated and better read via the improvements in printing techniques making books more affordable to more people.

New freethinking views gradually came into vogue and scientists and philosophers were regularly invited to social occasions, salon circles saw vibrant debate between those freely proffering controversial views that were now able to be distributed widely via pamphlet, books and articles. The new gentry class became the first group outside nobles and clergy able to have access to the abounding books and ideas. Social standing, rather than merit, was no longer the divine path to hearing these ideas or engaging in discourse on them.

Some other quotes from Collins’ peers and contributors to the Encyclopedie Methodique: “We hold that reason is the only foundation of all certitude…that nothing revealed, whether as to its nature or as to its existence, is more exempted from its disquisition, than the ordinary phenomena of nature…” John Toland. ”...In the interpretation of what God has revealed, we are to govern ourselves by our natural notions…a miracle is not enough to give credit to a prophet who teacheth anything contrary to our natural notions.” From a sermon by Tillotson.

This presentation prompted a good deal of interesting discussion and perhaps gave some of us a greater appreciation for those who risked life and limb to allow us the liberties of mind and opinion we enjoy now.

Recorder: Charles LaRue