Positive Atheism: Bayle, Meslier, D'Holbach, Diderot

Examines the evolution of the positive nature of atheism as a political philosophy in French Enlightenment thinkers / Written from the perspective of atheists – or those sympathetic to atheism – as opposed to the perspective of theologians / Explores the larger context of the history of atheism: where negative atheism gave way to positive atheism, and where positive atheism eventually made room for metatheism – exemplified in the writing of Diderot / Shows the profound consequences of atheism for political thought in its various defences of republicanism / Adds new dimensions to our understanding of the contribution of Bayle, Meslier, d’Holbach and Diderot to the history of ideas / Charles Devellennes looks at the the religious, social and political thought of the first four thinkers of the French Enlightenment: Pierre Bayle, Jean Meslier, Paul-Henri Thiry d’Holbach and Denis Diderot to explicitly argue for atheism as a positive philosophy.