Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays (Freethought Library) [Paperback]

Clarence Darrow (Author)

Book Description

Series: Freethought Library | Publication Date: December 1994

The renowned lawyer Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) was also an impassioned defender of intellectual freedom, individual liberties, and social justice. In these wide-ranging essays, Darrow attacks beliefs in the inerrancy of the Bible, the immortality of the soul, miracles, and heaven as being completely at odds with human experience and science. The life best lived, Darrow contends, is one that is ruled by reason, uncluttered by dogmatism, and aided by compassion for our fellow human beings. The essays include: Why I Am An Agnostic; The Myth of the Soul; Absurdities of the Bible; Voltaire; and The Skeleton in the Closet.

Product Details

• Paperback: 109 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879759402
• ISBN-13: 978-0879759407
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Freethinker Speaks his mind, November 10, 2000

By 

Danny Boy "1 Thess. 5:21" (Quezon City, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays (Freethought Library) (Paperback)

Five essays written by one of america's greatest lawyers. As defense attorney for John Scopes, Mr. Darrow defended the merits of evolution and exposed the problems of biblical creation. In this book, he writes his opinions on religion, the bible, the soul and Voltaire.

Contents:

1. Why I am an agnostic

[Criticizes the concept of god, Paley's watch-design analogy, the existence of the soul, and the bible.]

2. The myth of the soul

[A more detailed critique of the existence of the soul.]

3. Absurdities of the soul

[A humorous critique on the absuridities in the bible.]

4. Voltaire

[A biography on the life of Voltaire, the Enlightenment's foremost freethinker.]

5. The skeleton in the closet

[A brilliant and moving essay on coming out of the freethinker's closet]

"The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God is the death of wisdom. Skepticism and doubt lead to study and investigation, and investigation is the beginning of wisdom." (p. 19)

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Functional Conversation Piece, December 15, 2001

By 

Mr. Egregious - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays (Freethought Library) (Paperback)

Clarence Darrow, defendant at the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trail, expounds upon his beliefs toward the end of his life.

The title essay, Why I am an Agnostic, a spoof on Bertrand Russells essay collection, outlines Darrows reasons for being a theological fence sitter. This essay is a brief, though well-narrated and structured, sketch of the theological arguments against belief. Darrow uses his wit to take the edge off of an otherwise highly volatile subject. Darrow discusses Paleys argument from design, Aristotles theory of infinite regress, the duality of mind and body, miracles and natural law, and predestination and free will.

In the second essay, The Myth of the Soul, the author further analyzes the nature of duality. He also discusses the desire and origin of belief as well as the life instinct. Out of the collection, this is the strongest work.
In the third essay, a tongue-in-cheek look at The Absurdities of the Bible, Darrow outlines the metaphysical dilemmas posed in the Holy text while supporting the claim that an omni benevolent deity cannot, by it nature deceive, thus proving his claim by reductio ad absurdum.

In the forth essay, Voltaire, Darrow delves into near hero-worship of his intellectual messiah. This is the longest work in the collection, a mere historical outline of the French iconoclasts life.

The final work of the text, The Skeleton in the Closet, is the weakest essay. Never explicitly stating who or what the skeleton may be, Darrow leads the reader into unfulfilled anticipation at the turn of every paragraph while never telling him or her that it is Darrows coming out of intellectual and (for Darrow) hypocritical seclusion.

The text, reprinted by Prometheus Press and the Free thought Library, is not only a nice text to have for conversation purposes but a great outline of the theological argument. The text is worth the price for the first two (and arguably three) essays in the collection in order to have a quick review before going into to a theological discussion.

9 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More aptly titled "Why I Am an Atheist", February 18, 2006

By 

N. Reich (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why I Am an Agnostic and Other Essays (Freethought Library) (Paperback)

I agree with the first reviewer here, but I'd like to add why I was disappointed by this book. If I could have read it in a book store, I would never have bought it. Understand that I was looking for a book that would confirm that I am an agnostic, neither a theist nor an atheist, and therefore expected arguments of why I should believe in God as well as why I should not.

The arguments in this book are all about why I shouldn't believe in God and 'zero' about why I should. If you're a devote theist and you want to test your faith or move closer to atheism, this book would probably be a good read for you. If you're atheist and want to move closer to theism...look on. You will not find one clear statement regarding why you should believe. In fact, I was appalled when I read things like (in regards to the resurrection) "Have I ever known anyone who has made the journey and returned?" My first response was to say "Yes...Jesus!" I realize Darrow means that he know someone alive today but he doesn't give counter-arguments such as pointing out that there were people that claim they did - the apostles. (Face it folks, has anyone alive today ever personally experienced that which is written on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs? And who can say that tomorrow scientists won't confirm that someone was resurrected? Just because something is believed to be impossible today doesn't mean that tomorrow science can't prove that it is.) Since Darrow doesn't debate these points I'm left to believe that he is just another atheist who cannot admit that something said to be impossible today can't become proven possible tomorrow. To any atheist who reads what I just said...chill. [smiles] I am much more of an atheist then a theist so I'm just slamming myself too.

So if you're looking for a book that keeps you in the middle of atheism and theism, find another one. I wish I could tell you what that book is...all the books I've read with `agnostic' in the title are quick to argue that the reader is not one and therefore must be either atheist or theist. The rest of the book just ends up on a rant about why you are really an atheist.

Lastly, I was disappointed by the fact that 40 out of 109 pages were purely on the history of Voltaire. You won't find any debates during those pages about being an atheist, theist, or agnostic. ...just pure history. I found that to be a waste of my time.

Again, think of this book's title as "Why I'm Am an Atheist" and you'll get a better impression of the content.