THE AGE OF REASON: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology

by Thomas Paine

  1. ISBN: 978-93-5702-055-8
  2. Pages: 232 pages
  3. Date: 5th February 2023

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Challenging the institutionalized religion and legitimacy of the Bible, The Age of Reason was Paine’s
years of study and reflection on the role of religion in society. His arguments had long been available
to the educated elite, but by presenting them in an engaging and irreverent style, he made deism
appealing and accessible to the masses. Originally distributed as unbound pamphlets, the book was
cheap in order to put it within the reach of a large number of buyers. Fearing the spread of what
were potentially revolutionary ideas, the British government prosecuted printers and booksellers
who were associated with its publication and reach. However, even through that, The Age of Reason
surpassed the boundaries of the religious agendas throughout the world at the dawn of the nineteenth
century, and its resonance remains undiminished by time.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Thomas Paine (born 29 January 1737, Thetford, Norfolk, England—died 8 June 1809, New York,
U.S.) was an English-born American writer, political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and
revolutionary whose Common Sense pamphlet and Crisis papers were important influences on the
American Revolution and helped inspire the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great
Britain, hitherto an unpopular cause. He is seen by many as a key figure in the emergence of claims
for the state’s responsibilities for welfare and educational provision, and his Age of Reason provided
a popular deist text that remained influential throughout the nineteenth century. In his own lifetime,
and subsequently, he has been extensively vilified and often dismissed. Yet, many of his ideas still
command wide interest and enthusiasm in readers throughout the world.