Atheists and Atheism before the Enlightenment: The English and Scottish Experience

During the early modern period, there was widespread anxiety about the threat of atheism, but documented examples of openly expressed irreligious opinion were rare. This book examines three cases in England and Scotland, including the execution of Thomas Aikenhead in 1697, the conviction of Tinkler Ducket in 1739, and the publication of Archibald Pitcairne's atheist tract in 2016. It argues that these atheists displayed real assurance in publicly promoting their views, in contrast to the private doubts of Christian believers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 27 July 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In the early modern era, a pervasive fear of atheism gripped society, yet remarkably few documented cases of openly expressed irreligious opinion exist. Before 1750, England and Scotland witnessed only a handful of such instances. This book delves into a detailed analysis of three notable cases. In 1697, Thomas Aikenhead met his demise at Edinburgh for his atheistic beliefs, while Tinkler Ducket faced conviction for atheism at the University of Cambridge in 1739. Contrastingly, Archibald Pitcairne's overtly atheist tract, "Pitcairneana," although compiled in the early eighteenth century, was not published until 2016. Drawing upon these and other well-known cases, such as the apostasy of Christopher Marlowe and the Earl of Rochester, Michael Hunter contends that these atheists displayed a genuine confidence in publicly propagating their views, in stark contrast to the private doubts of Christian believers. This book serves to demonstrate that these two phenomena, despite occasional conflation, are distinct, highlighting the unique perspectives and experiences of individuals during this historical period.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 160 x 236 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009268776