Here are certain people that are of interest to the "devoted" Naturalist. These people span from ancient philosophy to modern science and psychology.
Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) was one of the most accomplished intellectuals of all time. He was a polymath, his writings include studies in mathematics, physics, metaphysics, ethics, theology, biology, aesthetics, logic, and rhetoric, and politics among several other things. He tutored Alexander the great, and despite being heavily influential on Christian philosophy in the middle ages, he rejected the idea of an afterlife and believed in a mere prime mover and lesser prime movers. His theology could be described as "poly-deism". His emphasis on studying the natural world, as opposed to the mysticism of Plato, paved the way for modern science in a way perhaps only rivaled in novelty by Anaxagoras. Aristotle, along with other greek thinkers such as the aforementioned Anaxagoras, Leucippus, and Democritus helped pave the way for naturalism and deism in the future. His ethical philosophy is also still considered one of the best.
Epicurus (341 BCE – 270 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and intellectual descendant of Democritus. For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life which was characterized by peace and freedom from fear, and the absence of pain. Epicurus placed an emphasis on human well being and living a virtuous life. He taught that death is nothing to fear; In his Principal Doctrines he wrote, "Death is nothing to us; for that which has been dissolved into its elements experiences no sensations, and that which has no sensation is nothing to us." He also taught that the gods don't have anything to do with us, and that you should be self reliant instead of reliant on the gods. He wrote in what is now referred to as the Vatican Sayings, "It is pointless for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself." Epicurus has had a lot of influence over the years. He was a major inspiration for Lucretius, he influenced the Utilitarians, and Thomas Jefferson greatly admired Epicurus and considered himself a disciple of Epicurean philosophy. In a 1819 letter to William Short, Thomas Jefferson wrote that "As you say of yourself, I TOO AM AN EPICUREAN. I consider the genuine (not the imputed) doctrines of Epicurus as containing every thing rational in moral philosophy which Greece and Rome have left us."
Learn more about Epicurus at http://www.epicurus.net/index.html
Thomas Paine (February 9, 1737 to June 8, 1809) was an American philosopher best known for his pamplet Common Sense in 1776 which helped start the American Revolution. He also wrote the Rights of Man, a defense of liberal values meant to be in support of the French Revolution. Paine was a staunch Deist, and wrote the first two parts of the Age of Reason from 1793–94. In the late 1790s, he authored the Examination of the Prophecies, a third part to the Age of Reason, which was published in 1807. In the Age of Reason, he harshly critices the Judeo-Christian tradition and advocates a Naturalistic Deism independent of organized religion. While the publication of Deism caused an explosion of Deism initially, by the time of his death he became heavily unpopular from his criticism of Christianity, and only six men attended his funeral.
Learn more about Thomas Paine:
Thomas Jefferson (Born April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, Virginia; died July 4, 1826, Monticello) was not only a founding father of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence, but also an accomplished scientist and philosopher. Thomas Jefferson was born into an Episcopalian (Anglican) family, but later turned towards a naturalistic philosophy called Deism. Although remaining involved in his local church, Jefferson was fiercely skeptical of the supernatural, advocating skepticism even of the existence of God. In a 1787 letter to his nephew Peter Carr he wrote, "Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.". He also rejected the supernatural (immaterial) as having an existence, writing in an 1820 letter to John Adams that, "To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings. To say that the human soul, angels, god, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no god, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise: but I believe I am supported in my creed of materialism by Locke, Tracy, and Stewart." Jefferson is also well known for snipping out the parts of the New Testament he considered superstition or immoral and producing the "Jefferson Bible", formally known as The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.
Learn More about Thomas Jefferson:
- http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/brief-biography-thomas-jefferson
- The Faiths of the Founding Fathers by David L. Holmes
- "Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values
- Thomas Jefferson: Author of America (Eminent Lives) by Christopher Hitchens
- Thomas Jefferson: Statesman of Science by Silvio A. Bedini
Bertrand Russell (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was one of the founders of the British analytic tradition of philosophy. Influenced by the development of new logic by the German mathematician Gottlob Frege, Russell went on to become heavily influential in mathematics and philosophy. The book Principia Mathematica, which he co-authored with Alfred North Whitehead, is still considered one of the most important treatises on mathematical logic ever written. He was a popular advocate for philosophy and natural science, and was well known in his lifetime for his adamant pacifism and humanism. He remains respected as one of the most brilliant philosophers since Aristotle. He is well known for his short introduction to philosophy called The Problems of Philosophy, as well as his histories of philosophy such as The History of Western Philosophy and the lesser known Wisdom of the West. His essay Why I am Not a Christian is widely read by non-theists, and he continues to be popular to this day.
