Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

French 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.

3 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

  1. Napoleon and Wellington

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the comparative histories of Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington, two titans of nineteenth century history.

    25 October 2001

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Andrew Roberts, Mike Broers, Belinda Beaton

     
  2. Olympe de Gouges

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life, ideas and works of the Frenchwoman who wrote The Declaration of the Rights of Woman in 1791 during the French Revolution

    21 April 2022

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Catriona Seth, Katherine Astbury, Sanja Perovic

     
  3. Pierre-Simon Laplace

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great French mathematician who tackled questions on the stability of the Solar System and planet rotation and devised the basis for metrication

    8 April 2021

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Marcus du Sautoy, Timothy Gowers, Colva Roney-Dougal