The Story of My Mind Or, How I Became a Rationalist

M. M. MangasarianProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.7

Word count: 158K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Story of My Mind; Or, How I Became a Rationalist by M. M. MangasarianAuthor: Mangasarian, M. M. (Mangasar Mugurditch), 1859-1943,Language: English, Class: BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism, Release Date: Apr 24, 2014

Editor's review

This is Mangasarian's first-person account of his intellectual development; the title translates literally as The Story of My Mind, or How I Became a Rationalist. It is not an abstract theoretical treatise but a narrative centered on the transformation of personal belief, tracing one religious figure's path toward rationalism. For Chinese readers its value lies in offering a window onto rationalist currents from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century: how the author questioned authority and how he understood the relationship between reason and faith unfold gradually through the account. It is best read as an intellectual biography rather than a rigorously argued philosophical textbook, with attention to its narrative logic and historical context rather than wholesale acceptance of its position. The book's discussions of religion and rationalism suit readers willing to read with a critical eye and interested in intellectual history. The language is English, the length moderate, and it can be read in sections with background notes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in rationalism, criticism of religion, and intellectual autobiography
History enthusiasts curious about the intellectual climate of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Readers willing to approach questions of faith and reason with a critical eye
Readers with some English proficiency who enjoy first-person intellectual narratives

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic philosophical argument or a rigorous theoretical framework
Readers sensitive to religious topics who prefer not to encounter challenges to faith
Beginners who struggle with English and need a complete Chinese translation

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and opening pages to clarify the timeline of the author's account, then read in stages.
Jot down key moments of doubt and transformation as you read to build your own map of the author's intellectual development.
Look up brief reference material when religious background appears, to aid understanding of the historical context without rushing to judgment.
After finishing, write a short response comparing the author's position with your own, testing whether you were persuaded and why.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a work of philosophical theory?

It is closer to intellectual autobiography, built around the narrative of the author's personal transformation in belief rather than a tightly constructed theoretical system. Read it for its narrative logic and historical background, not by the standards of a theory textbook.

Can I understand it without knowing religious background?

Largely yes. The book centers on a personal transformation involving faith and reason, and the core thread is clear; but without any familiarity with the relevant religious commonplaces, some arguments may be harder to appreciate in their specific targets, so brief background reference while reading helps.

Do the book's views represent settled conclusions?

This is the author's personal intellectual account, presenting his position and reasoning rather than scholarly consensus. Readers should treat it as one sample viewpoint, reading critically: understand his reasoning while keeping their own judgment.

Is it suitable for classroom discussion or book clubs?

It works well as material for discussing intellectual history or questions of faith and reason, since its first-person narrative readily invites differing positions. When using it, supplement the historical background and remind participants to distinguish the author's personal views from general conclusions.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

M. M. Mangasarian Author · American · 1859–1943

M. M. Mangasarian (1859–1943) was an Armenian-American rationalist and writer, born in the Ottoman Empire and later settled in the United States. He had served as a Presbyterian minister before turning to religious criticism, and in 1900 he founded the Independent Religious Society in Chicago, which he led until 1925. The library holds twelve of his works, most of them questioning Christianity and the Bible. His representative works include The Truth about Jesus: Is He a Myth?, How the Bible Was Invented and Morality Without God, as well as writings on Shakespeare's religion. Aimed at general readers, his work presents rationalist positions in a plain, speech-like and argumentative style. Public information on his early life and education is limited.