Nineteenth-Century British Secularism: Science, Religion and Literature (Histories of the Sacred and Secular, 1700–2000)

Nineteenth-Century British Secularism offers a new paradigm for understanding secularization in the nineteenth century. It addresses the crisis in the secularization thesis by foregrounding a nineteenth-century development called 'Secularism' – the particular movement and creed founded by George Jacob Holyoake from 1851 to 1852. Nineteenth-Century British Secularism rethinks and reevaluates the significance of Holyoake's Secularism, regarding it as a historic moment of modernity and granting it centrality as both a herald and exemplar for a new understanding of modern secularity. In addition to Secularism proper, the book treats several other moments of secular emergence in the nineteenth century, including Thomas Carlyle's 'natural supernaturalism', Richard Carlile's anti-theist science advocacy, Charles Lyell's uniformity principle in geology, Francis Newman's naturalized religion or 'primitive Christianity', and George Eliot's secularism and post-secularism. "Cover"--"Half-Title"--"Title" -- "Copyright" -- "Contents" -- "Acknowledgements" -- "Introduction: Secularity or the Post-Secular Condition" -- "1 Carlyle and Carlile: Late Romantic Skepticism and Early Radical Freethought" -- "2 Principles of Geology: A Secular Fissure in Scientific Knowledge" -- "3 Holyoake and Secularism: The Emergence of â#x80;#x98;Positiveâ#x80;#x99; Freethought" -- "4 Secularizing Science: Secularism and the Emergence of Scientific Naturalism" -- "5 The Three Newmans: A Triumvirate of Secularity" -- "6 George Eliot: The Secular Sublime, Post-Secularism, and â#x80;#x98;Secularizationâ#x80;#x99;" -- "Epilogue: Secularism as Modern Secularity" -- "Not es." Front Matter....Pages i-vi Introduction: Secularity or the Post-Secular Condition....Pages 1-15 Carlyle and Carlile: Late Romantic Skepticism and Early Radical Freethought....Pages 16-44 Principles of Geology: A Secular Fissure in Scientific Knowledge....Pages 45-70 Holyoake and Secularism: The Emergence of ‘Positive’ Freethought....Pages 71-106 Secularizing Science: Secularism and the Emergence of Scientific Naturalism....Pages 107-134 The Three Newmans: A Triumvirate of Secularity....Pages 135-167 George Eliot: The Secular Sublime, Post-Secularism, and ‘Secularization’....Pages 168-196 Epilogue: Secularism as Modern Secularity....Pages 197-201 Back Matter....Pages 202-257 Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Introduction: Secularity or the Post-Secular Condition 8 1 Carlyle and Carlile: Late Romantic Skepticism and Early Radical Freethought 23 2 Principles of Geology: A Secular Fissure in Scientific Knowledge 52 3 Holyoake and Secularism: The Emergence of ‘Positive’ Freethought 78 4 Secularizing Science: Secularism and the Emergence of Scientific Naturalism 114 5 The Three Newmans: A Triumvirate of Secularity 142 6 George Eliot: The Secular Sublime, Post-Secularism, and ‘Secularization’ 175 Epilogue: Secularism as Modern Secularity 204 Not es 209 Index 255 Nineteenth-Century British Secularism offers a new paradigm for understanding secularization in nineteenth century Britain. It argues that George Holyoake's Secularism represents a historic moment of modernity, a herald for understanding secularization and modern secularity