Audiobook · read by volunteers
Age of Reason
Thomas Paine (1737–1809)
Read by lukkystarr · 37 chapters · 8 h 11
About the book
Thomas Paine, who had helped to stir the American and French revolutions with his pen, now turned his attention to religion. In The Age of Reason, he sets out to examine the claims of the Bible and of organised churches in the light of common sense. He believes in one God and in the use of reason, but he rejects the idea that any book has been dictated by heaven, and he does not spare the inconsistencies he finds in scripture. The book is blunt, combative and written in a style that anyone could follow. It aroused fierce controversy when it appeared and was a bestseller. It is a classic of freethought and a vivid example of Enlightenment argument. Whatever you think of its arguments, it is a landmark of Enlightenment writing.
Introduction
Thomas Paine, born in England in 1737 and died in 1809, was a pamphleteer and political thinker who played a part in two revolutions. His pamphlet Common Sense, published in 1776, helped to persuade many Americans to seek independence, and his Rights of Man defended the French Revolution. He was imprisoned in Paris during the Terror, and he had finished the first part of The Age of Reason only just before his arrest.
The full title is The Age of Reason: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology. It was published in three parts, in 1794, 1795 and 1807, and it presents a deist view of religion. Paine was not an atheist, but he attacked institutional churches and the idea of revelation, and for this he was widely denounced. The book circulated in cheap editions and influenced many readers who were interested in questions of faith and doubt. It remains an important text for the history of religious debate.
The LibriVox recording has thirty-seven sections and lasts a little over eight hours. It is read by a single volunteer. Whatever your own view of the questions Paine discusses, this is a stimulating piece of writing, fierce and energetic. It is a good example of the kind of argument that was possible in the age of Enlightenment, and of the way a determined writer could make complex ideas accessible to a wide public.
The argument is arranged in a clear sequence, and Paine's rhetorical skill makes it easy to follow. He is witty as well as angry, and his comparisons are often memorable. Listeners will find it a fascinating way to meet the debates of the late eighteenth century, and to consider how strongly people have always disagreed about faith.
Public domain
Thomas Paine died in 1809: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text