A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Rationalists

xxxii, 934 pp. "The term 'rationalism', dating from around the middle of the seventeenth century, is usually understood as the philosophical outlook which stresses the power of reason over faith, emotion or instinct. In his Biographical Dictionary, McCabe collects together thousands of men and women who throughout history have championed the cause of rationalism, upholding 'the right of reason against the authority of Church or tradition'. Covering over three centuries, the Dictionary gathers together theists, pantheists, atheists, materialists, agnostics, secularists, monists, and positivists. It contains not only philosophers, but teachers of science, political theorists, historians, and artists. Each entry lists the subject's birth and death dates, details of their education and occupation, and evidence of their rationalist views. Including European and American figures, the Dictionary is full of minor figures rarely found in other reference works."--Good Reads