A History of Freedom of Thought
John Bagnell Bury
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The great civil liberties we enjoy today, like Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press, have their foundation in Freedom of Thought. Without being able to freely explore all kinds of matter with an inquisitive mind, whether it be religious, political, societal, scientific, etc., any expression thereof is limited in and of itself.
John Bagnell Bury tells the history of freedom of thought from its roots in Ancient Greece and Rome through the dark and restrictive Middle Ages and its renewed liberation in the Renaissance and the Reformation until the Rationalism of the 17th - 19th centuries.
The focus of this book is on religious freethought, but the ideas and values of freedom of thought can be applied to any subject where rigorous thinking is beneficial. (Summary by Ava)
(5 hr 51 min)
Chapters
| Freedom of Thought and the Forces Against It (Introductory) | 22:51 | Read by Availle |
| Reason Free (Greece and Rome) | 35:25 | Read by helensears |
| Reason in Prison (The Middle Ages) | 28:30 | Read by realisticspeakers |
| Prospect of Deliverance (The Renaissance and the Reformation) | 25:11 | Read by KalenXI |
| Religious Toleration, Part 1 | 26:37 | Read by soji |
| Religious Toleration, Part 2 | 26:36 | Read by jenno |
| The Growth of Rationalism (17th and 18th Centuries), Part 1 | 38:23 | Read by realisticspeakers |
| The Growth of Rationalism (17th and 18th Centuries), Part 2 | 35:30 | Read by realisticspeakers |
| The Progress of Rationalism (19th Century), Part 1 | 25:01 | Read by J. M. Smallheer |
| The Progress of Rationalism (19th Century), Part 2 | 24:55 | Read by J. M. Smallheer |
| The Progress of Rationalism (19th Century), Part 3 | 25:36 | Read by J. M. Smallheer |
| The Justification of Liberty of Thought | 37:15 | Read by mleigh |
Reviews
philsomething
a cautionary tale about what happens when anti-science movements gain traction, even in an otherwise advanced society