The Age of Reason · Theme
Intellectual Freedom and Skepticism
How The Age of Reason develops Intellectual Freedom and Skepticism.
Paine advocates for mental faithfulness to oneself, condemns 'mental lying' in professing belief, and insists on the right to question and investigate all religious claims freely.
Where it surfaces
- Editor's Introduction
Paine renounced a priori philosophizing, rested everything on evidence, and founded the Huxleyan school; his work represents the turning-point of the historical freethinking movement.
- The Author's Profession of Faith
Paine emphasizes mental faithfulness to oneself, condemns 'mental lying' in professing beliefs one does not hold, and calls for open discussion of religion.
- VII: Examination of the Old Testament
Paine encourages readers to question the Bible's authority and think independently, rejecting imposed dogma.
- XII: The Effects of Christianism on Education; Proposed Reforms
Paine advocates for the moral duty to seek evidence from science and creation, and criticizes the suppression of free inquiry by religious authorities.