Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

British deists

Deism ( DEE-iz-əm  or DAY-iz-əm; derived from the Latin deus, meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the creator of the universe. More simply stated, Deism is the belief in the existence of God solely based on rational thought without any reliance on revealed religions or religious authority.

2 episodes

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  1. Alfred Russel Wallace

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Victorian pioneer of evolutionary theory Alfred Russel Wallace.

    21 March 2013

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    Featuring: Steve Jones, George Beccaloni, Ted Benton

     
  2. Thomas Paine's Common Sense

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense, which was published in 1776 and bolstered support for American independence.

    21 January 2016

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    Featuring: Kathleen Burk, Nicholas Guyatt, Peter Thompson