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Mary Wollstonecraft Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner, |
Anne Royall, Frances Wright, |
Queen Silver, |
| Adams, John: |
| Asimov, Isaac . 1920-1992. Well known science fiction writer, published more than 400 books including the 'Foundation Trilogy' (1951-3) and 'Foundations Edge' (1983). |
| Marcus Auralius ; |
| Ayer, Sir Alfred . 1910-1989 was born in London, and attended .'Language, Truth and Logic' was published in 1936 and other works include 'Foundations of Empirical Knowledge' (1940), 'The Problem of Knowledge' (1956) and 'The Central Questions of Philosophy' (1973). |
| Bacon, Francis: |
| Bentham, Jeremy . 1748-1832. One of the founders of University College, London, which was open to all regardless of belief. He popularised the principles "the greatest happiness of the greatest number" and "everyone to count for one, nobody for more than one", and made these the criterion for ethics, legislation and social policy. He called the system "utilitarianism". To bring about social reform he said we should "investigate, legislate, inspect". |
| Berlin, Isaiah . 1909-1997. Born on June 6, 1909, in Riga, Latvia . The family left and in 1920 moved to England. Berlin was a lecturer in philosophy at New College, Oxford, beginning in 1932. During World War II, Berlin worked at the British Information Services office in New York. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was said to have enjoyed reading Berlin's summaries of United States opinion so much that he invited Berlin to lunch at 10 Downing Street, but the invitation was mistakenly delivered to the composer Irving Berlin. Berlin published his first book, 'Karl Marx: His Life and Environment', in 1939. Among Berlin's most important essays were 'Historical Inevitability' (1955), 'Two Concepts of Liberty'(1959), and 'Four Essays on Liberty' (1969). These works are considered Berlin's finest arguments defending liberty, free will, and pluralism against romantic and utopian philosophical systems. |
| Harold Blackham - 100 years old this year 2003. teacher, writer and philosopher. Became the secretary of the Ethical Union and IHEU on it's formation in 1952. He was the first director of the British Humanist Association when it was formed in 1963. His many bookd include Six Existentialist Thinkers (1952), Reality, Man and Existence (1965 |
| Bondi, Sir Herman: |
| Bradlaugh, Charles . 1833-1891. He was born at Hoxton, London and at first wrote under the name 'Iconoclast'. He was successful in much of the litigation following his publications, notably in 1877-8, when he and Mrs. Annie Besant were prosecuted and acquitted for publishing a pamphlet about birth control. |
| Carneigie, Andrew: Cicero, Clifford, Wm.: |
| Crick, Francis 1916-. He was born in Northampton and studied physics at University College, London. He established with Maurice Wilkins and James Watson the function and double-helix structure of DNA. He wrote "A good biological theory must try to see through the clutter produced by evolution to the basic mechanisms lying beneath them". Making sense of the genetic code was an example of this as all the 'elegant and simple' theories turned out to be wrong by experimental methods. |
| Curie,
Marie . 1867-1934. By the age of 15 she was an agnostic. She was
appointed professor of general physics at the Sorbonne in Paris, and
received the Nobel
prize for chemistry in 1911. She and her husband Pierre did research into radioactivity in response to the great puzzlement existing at that time about the structure of atoms. She was the first person to win two Nobel prizes. |
| da Vinci, Leonado*: |
| Darwin, Charles His life's work on evolution and the 'Origin of Species' his most famous work, eventually led him to a rejection of god as creator. His regard for his wife's religious convictions and the mores of the time made him reluctant to be outspoken on the matter, but it is clear from letters and his collaboration with local landowner Lord Lubbock to establish a secular school in Downe Village that he was not a believer. |
| Diderot, Denis . 1713-1784. Born at Langres, in Champagne, France, he worked for many years as a bookseller's hack. He eventually became an atheist, and was imprisoned several times for violating the censorship. He was joint editor of the great Encyclopédie (1751-65). He challenged the concept of absolute truth on the grounds that, as change is a fundamental principle of life, so must truth also be subject to change. He emphasised the complementary roles of observation and reflection, and believed that matter is composed of 'elements' divisible into molecules, and that all living species pass though stages of development. His thesis was always to give people knowledge so that they could think for themselves. |
| Eliot, George . 1819-1880. The pen name of Marian Evans, which she used to help get her work published at a time when it was almost impossible for women to get their writings into print. 'Helping one another' and 'the interdependence of all human beings' are the threads that ran through her many books. These include Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1871-2) and Daniel Deronda (1876). |
| Einstein,
Albert . 1879-1955. In 1914 he became titular professor of physics
at the Kaiser
Wilhelm Institute in Berlin. The German Nazi government confiscated his property and revoked his citizenship because he was Jewish. In 1940 he became a citizen of the USA. Although a pacifist he urged the American President to investigate the possible use of atomic bombs. He produced his special theory of relativity in 1905 and a general theory of relativity in about 1916. |
| Epicurus
. 341-270 B.C. He defined philosophy as the art of making life happy
and subordinated metaphysics to ethics, naming pleasure the highest and
only good. Pleasure is not, however, heedless indulgence, but serenity (ataraxia)
resulting from the absence of pain. He also prescribed a code of social
conduct that advocated honesty, prudence, and justice in dealing with
others (because such conduct would save the individual from society's
retribution and also from the pain of the fear of the discovery of wrong
doing). He founded a school in a garden in Athens, which became known as
'The Garden' and included women.
His outlook spread throughout the Roman world and he taught that the gods did not create or intervene in the universe, which evolved naturally. Life after death could not exist so there could be no heaven or hell. On the gravestones of followers were written "I was not; I have been; I am not; I do not mind". |
| Euripides. |
| Forster,
E(dward) M(organ ). 1879-1970. He brought new depths to the English
novel of
manners. Among his works are: A Room with a View (1908), Howard's End (1910), and A passage to India (1924). His 'What I believe and Other Essays' were collected and edited by Nicolas Walter in 1999 for the National Secular Society. |
| Franklin, Benjamin: Galileo *: Haldane, J.B.S.: |
| Hammon, William . See Matthew Turner below. |
| Hoyle, Fred.:Hobson, Ernest |
| Hume,
David . 1711-1776. Born in Edinburgh he went in 1734 to France to
study philosophy.
In his Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748) he sought to develop a science of humanity, and he contended that there is no such science as metaphysics, restricting knowledge to experience and excluding pure reason. In 'An Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals' (1752), he propounds a philosophy with a definite utilitarian note, and his 'Political Discourse' (1752) foreshadowed the free trade ideas of Adam Smith. |
| Huxley, T(homas) H(enry) . After the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859 he became known as Darwin's 'bulldog'. He coined the word 'agnosticism' in 1869. His books Lay Sermons (1870), Science and Culture (1881) and Evolution and Ethics (1893) are expositions scientific Humanism. |
| Sir Julian Huxley grandson of T.H & brother of Aldous, scholar and biologist, was Director-General of UNESCO from 1946 to 1948. Among his many books were 'Religion without Revelation' (1957) and 'Essays of a Humanist' (1964). He became known to a wider audience on the panel of the Brains Trust on BBC radio |
| Ingersoll, Robert (Green) . 1833-1899. Born near New York, USA, he became a school teacher but was sacked for making a joke in answer to a question about baptism. In the American civil war he was a colonel in the 11th Illinois Cavalry, and afterwards became a famous lawyer. Because he refused to compromise his principles of non-belief, he was not nominated to run as Governor of the State of Illinois. A contemporary wrote "The tales of his generosity had gone far and wide, and every morning there was a pile of letters on his desk from poor clerks starving in garrets, and young women who could find no means of support. To such appeals he responded so bountifully that they came faster and faster. His friends warned him against the impositions that were practised upon him, and told him he ought to have a bureau of enquiry; but he answered that he would rather be cheated a dozen times than leave one poor girl to suffer, and perhaps die". In writing about death he said, "if we could live for ever here we would care nothing for each other. The fact that we must die, the fact that the feast must end, brings our souls together ... It may be were it not for death there would be no love, and without love life would be a curse". |
| Jeams. James: Jefferson, Thomas: Keith, Sir Arthur: |
| Kurtz,
Paul. 1925-. Professor of philosophy at the State University of New
York at
Buffalo, USA, and the author of 'Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Humanism' (1988). He founded the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSIOP). |
| Keynes, Maynard . 1883-1946. In 1919 he represented the British Chancellor of the Exchequer in the peace negotiations in Paris. His writings include: 'The Economic Consequences of the Peace' (1919), 'The End of Laissez-Faire' (1926) and 'A Treastise on Money' (1929). |
| Lamont,
Corliss . 1902-1995. He graduated from Harvard in 1924 and then
studied
philosophy. Was director of the American Civil Liberties Union and his books include: 'Freedom Is As Freedom Does', 'Freedom of Choice Affirmed' (1967), 'The Illusion of Immortality' (1935) and 'The Philosophy of Humanism' (1949-82). |
| Leakey, Richard . 1944-. He was born in Kenya and discovered a hominoid skull which may represent a transition between Australopithecus and the Homo genera. He published 'The Making of Mankind' (1981). |
| Lennon, John . 1940-80. A British rock musician-songwriter who was born in Liverpool, England; founder of pop group Quarrymen (which appeared under various names) 1955-62. He founded the Beatles group in 1962 and was group's lead singer and intellectual until its dissolution in 1970. One of his hit songs is 'Imagine' the words of which are used widely as an atheist anthem. |
| Lucretius (Titus Lucretius Carus) . c.99 - c.55 B.C. His one great poem 'On the Nature of Things' (De rerum natura) expounds the philosophy of Epicurus. |
| Mill, John Stuart . 1806-1873. He was born in London and he attempted to put Jeremy Bentham's utilitarian morality into the sphere of political legislation as an MP. He took up the cause of women's rights and was always a defender of the right of the individual to develop his mode of life in any way that did not harm others. He published 'On Liberty' in 1859 and 'The Subjection of Women' in 1869. |
| Paine, Thomas . 1737-1809. Born in Thetford, Norfolk he went to Philadelphia and in 1776 issued a pamphlet entitled 'Common Sense', putting the case for American independence. In 1787 he published in England 'The Rights of Man' as a counterblast to Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution. Paine was indicted in 1792 but went to France. 'His Age of Reason' criticised the Bible and revealed religion. He died in New York. |
| Popper, Sir Karl (Raimund) . 1902-1994. Was born in Vienna and was a professor (1949-69) at the London School of Economics. His criticised historicism (the view that there are historical laws) as a tool of totalitarian thought in 'The Logic of Scientific' (1931) and 'The Open Society and Its Enemies' (1945). |
| Reade, Winwood . 1839-1875. He went to Africa as an explorer in 1862 and was correspondent of The Times. He wrote novels and 'The Martyrdom of '(1872) and 'The '(1875). |
| Roddenberry,
Gene . 1921-1991. He was the creator and executive producer of the
television series Star Trek (from 1966) and its sequel Star Trek: The
Next Generation. He became an atheist when he was a teenager, and began
writing when he was a pilot in World War II. He did not think of Star
Trek as science-fiction, but as being about people. Some of the early
problems he encountered with the television networks were that he wasn't
allowed to have a woman as the ship's second-in-command, and against his
wishes, early programmes had sexist costumes for women. He had to
struggle to keep black officers in the cast. Some Christians wanted a
chaplain on board the ship and when a character died for them to have a
Christian funeral. His 'message' was that to enrich our lives fully, we
need to develop the warmth of human emotions as reason and logic are not
enough.
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| Bertrand
Russell. 1872-1970. Was born in Wales and succeeded his father as
Earl Russell in 1931. He produced 'Principles of Mathematics' in 1903
with Alfred North Whitehead, and 'Principia Mathematica' in 1910-13. He
was convinced of the logical independence of facts and the dependence of
knowledge on the data of original experience.
He was an active pacifist in World War I, but he abandoned pacifism during World War II, and reverted to it after the war and became leader of the "ban the bomb" movement to halt the manufacture of nuclear weapons. He published 'Marriage and Morals' (1929), 'A History of Western Philosophy' (1945), and in 1957 'Why I Am Not a Christian', a lecture given in 1927 and one of his most widely read and influential works.
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| Shelly, Percy Bysshe . 1792-1822. In 1810 he entered Oxford and in 1811 he and a friend published a pamphlet, On the Necessity of Atheism, and were expelled. His poem 'Queen Mab' was published privately in 1813. He advocated social and political reform through the abolition of various institutions. In 1814 he went to France with Mary Godwin, whom he married after his wife's suicide in 1816. 'The Revolt of Islam' appeared in 1818, and 'Promethus Unbound' in 1820. His poetry shows his belief in reason and the perfectability of humanity. His wife Mary (1797-1851) was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft and wrote 'Frankenstein' (1818). |
| Smith, Adam . 1723-1790. Born at Kirkcaldy he was educated in Glasgow and at Balliol College, Oxford. He was professor of moral philosophy in Glasgow from 1752-63. His 'The Wealth of Nations' appeared in 1776. It set out a comprehensive moral and social programme, based on the study of market forces and of "the obvious and simple system of natural liberty". It said general welfare depends on allowing the individual to promote his own interest freely "as long as he does not violate the laws of justice". |
| Swinton, William: |
| Turner, Matthew . Named as the author, or part author, of the first book in English in which someone declared themselves as being an atheist, as distinct from being called an atheist by others. The declaration was made by William Hammon and the book 'Answer to Dr. Priestley's Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever' was published in London in 1782. |
| Twain, Mark . 1835-1910. Pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born at Florida, Missouri, USA, he became a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. He established his reputation with his first book, 'The Innocents Abroad' (1869), and two classic novels, in dialect, 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' (1876) and 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1885), which used vivid characterisation and descriptions, and, underlying the humour, a theme of man's inhumanity to man. |
| Voltaire . 1694-1791. The adopted named of François Marie Aroute. He was the son of a notary and born in Paris. He was imprisoned for his outspoken views and he spent a great deal of his life fighting intolerance. He first made his mark as a dramatist with Oedipe (1718). His other writings include Dialogues on Philosophy. His book 'Candide' (1759) is a satire on the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds. |
| Washington, George: |
| Wells, H(erbert) G(eorge) . 1866-1946. Having taught biology, he wrote fantastic and science-fiction novels like 'The Time Machine' (1895) and 'The War of the Worlds'(1898) and 'The Shape of Things to Come' (1933). He turned to realism with 'Kipps' (1905) and 'Outline of History' (1920). |
| Wilson, Angus . 1913-1991. (the pen-name of Frank Johnstone). His books depict a corrupt society in both public and domestic life. They include 'Anglo-Saxon Attitudes' (1956) and 'Hemlock and After' (1952). |
| Wollstonecraft, Mary . 1759-1797. After publishing 'Vindication of the Rights of Woman' (1792), she lived in Paris. She married William Godwin (1797) and died giving birth to a daughter, Mary, who married Percy Bysshe Shelley. |
| More
lists & information see :-
Famous Dead Atheists - http://www.jmarkgilbert.com/index.html Celebatheist
- The Celebrity Atheist List, an offbeat collection of |
Famous Freethinkers - rationalists, secularists and atheists and agnostics
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Romans- Cicero (ag) Marcus Auralius Greeks Euripides Epicurus Lucretius Americans Benjamin Franklin R George Washington NR Thomas Jefferson John Adams (2) ?? Andrew Carnegie Robert Ingersoll, Lamont, Corliss Scientists Galileo Sc R ? * Leonardo da Vinci Francis Bacon(natural Science) Sir Arthur Keith Erasmus Darwin Charles Darwin T.H.Huxley CliffordWm Fred Hoyle James Jeans (on science) William Swinton Denis Diderot * Ernest Hobson (Math) Herman Bondi J.B.S. Haldane Marie Curie Isaac Newton (Heretical Xian) Leakey, Richard Musicians Delius Larry Adler Henry Wood Johannes Brahms Tchaikovsky Gerald Finzi George Melly Claude Debussy Giuseppe Verdi Benjamin Britten Hector Berlioz L.van Beethoven ? NR Lennon, John Politicians: Charles James Fox (Whig) NR Wm Johnson Fox Radical FT M de Condorcet Fenner Brockway Scholars misc: Gilbert Murray Greece R Ernest Renan (dismissed)
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Philosophers Isaiah Berlin, August Comte Ludwig Wittgenstein David Hume Bertrand Russell J.S. Mill J.P. Sartre J.J. Rousseau Karl Popper +Scientist John Locke ?? (BC Xian) Etienne Bonnot de Condillac Friedrich Nietzsch John Dewey A.J.Ayer G.E. Moore ? Albert Camus Noam Chomsky Secularist Founders (SM) Paul Kurtz, Frank Ridley +ILP Moncure Conway M.N.Roy (Indian H) Harold Blackham Harold Snell George J Holyoake John H Muirhead Graham Wallas Edward Clodd Stanton Coit Chapman Cohen Charles Bradlaugh Frederic Harrison Joseph McCabe Misc. William Archer (See Nov) Journalist Richard Carlile -publisher Thomas Paine R John Hobson Goethe ? Artists: William Morris Ford Madox Brown James NcNeill Whistler Pablo Picasso NR Auguste Rodin Thanks to Peter Heales Humanist Callendar R=Rationalist SM=secularist movement Ag= Agnostic Ath= Atheist * Punished - suffered for rationalism W - Woman Ps - Pseudonym
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Writers:- Isaac Azimov E.M. Forster Un. James Joyce Christopher Marlow Ath George Lewes ('Mr' Elliot) Shakespeare ? Algernon Swinburne (poet)* Robert Browning? Ma/ Balzac Pope poet (Quote) Thomas Hardy Harriet Martineau George Orwell George Sand W - Ps Aphra Benn ? NR G.B.Shaw P.B.Shelley Geoffrey Chaicer ?NR H.G. Wells Ludovic Kennedy Dante Gabriel Rossetti Voltaire R Leslie Stephen Woolf's father George Eliot R Ernest Newman (Music) Joseph Conrad ? Ethisist! Thomas Carlyle Matthew Arnold ? (SoF) Norman Angell pacifist Reade, Winwood Turner, Matthew 1st to cll hmslf Ath Wilson, Angus . Feminists / Reformers /Writers Virginia Woolf Mary Wollstonecraft Mary W " Shelley ?FT see list above for many more Women Freethinkers Reformers: Thomas Hobbes Montesquieu (Law) R/ John Ruskin Jeremy Bentham (law) Willian Cobbet Robert Owen JS Mill Emmeline Pankhurst Francis Place ?? William Godwin John Maynard . Keynes |
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