Thoughts on Religion

Romanes, George John, 1848-1894Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 271K words
Chapters: 28

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.Thoughts on Religion by George John RomanesAuthor: Romanes, George John, 1848-1894,Language: English, Class: BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism, Release Date: Oct 25, 2005

Editor's review

Romanes's Thoughts on Religion is a work of philosophy of religion, classified in the Project Gutenberg catalog under religion: general, miscellaneous and atheism. Its value lies in its rational treatment of questions of faith, presenting a nineteenth-century thinker's serious inquiry into religious propositions; the text has a dual character of argument and self-reflection. In reading such a work, the point is not to arrive at conclusions but to follow the path of argument and observe how the author repeatedly weighs faith against reason. The language is English, and the length and density of argument suit reading in stages rather than rapid reading. Readers interested in philosophy of religion and intellectual history may use it as supplementary material for understanding nineteenth-century religious controversy; reading it alongside related works of the same period will further reveal the contours of its problematic. Overall, this is a book that requires patience and accompanying thought, suited to note-taking reading in a quiet setting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in philosophy of religion and the rationality of faith
Scholars and students of nineteenth-century intellectual history and religious controversy
Those accustomed to argumentative texts and willing to take notes and reflect
English readers wishing to know public-domain works in general religion

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting spiritual guidance or religious consolation
Those unwilling to follow abstract argument and preferring narrative reading
Beginners with limited English reading ability and no annotations

Reading tips

Read section by section, summarizing the author's core argument after each part before continuing.
Keep paper and pen to record the chain of argument and questions, making it easier to clarify one's thinking on review.
Read alongside contemporary works in philosophy of religion to compare similarities and differences in problematic.
Slow down at abstract passages, understanding concepts before judging viewpoints.

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 suitable for devotional reading?

Not really. It is a work of philosophy of religion and general religion, focusing on rational inquiry and argument rather than offering devotional methods or emotional comfort. If you seek guidance for religious practice, you may find it weighted toward thought rather than nourishment; approach it with the expectations of academic reading.

Can readers without a philosophy background read it?

You can try, but patience is needed. The argument is fairly abstract; it is advisable first to learn the basic framework of problems in philosophy of religion, then read chapter by chapter slowly and take notes. If English reading is also difficult, you may first familiarize yourself with the content through a translation or introductory material, then return to the original for more reliable understanding.

What is the book's stance?

According to the available information, the book is classified under religion: general, miscellaneous and atheism, indicating that its discussion involves rational scrutiny of religious propositions. The specific stance must be judged from the text's argument; readers are advised to follow the author's reasoning rather than presuppose a conclusion, and to treat it as an exercise in critical thinking.

Comments

Find this book

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

Romanes, George John, 1848-1894 Author

George John Romanes (1848–1894) was a British evolutionary biologist and physiologist, and an important Victorian-era interpreter of Darwinian evolution. Thirteen of his works are held in this collection, covering animal behavior and marine biology, such as Jelly-Fish, Star-Fish, and Sea-Urchins, a study of primitive nervous systems, and Animal Intelligence, observations on animal psychology. He also wrote the three-volume Darwin, and After Darwin, which systematically reviews evolutionary theory and its later development, and The Scientific Evidences of Organic Evolution, which argues the scientific case for evolution to a general audience. His other works include Mind and Motion and Monism, and a biography and letters. His writing combines scientific evidence with accessible exposition, and he had a lasting influence in spreading Darwinism.