"The Necessity of Atheism" by Percy Bysshe Shelley, presented by August Berkshire

"The Necessity of Atheism" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Minnesota Atheists January 2022 Public Meeting with presenter August Berkshire, recorded Sunday, January 23, 2022.

In 1811, at the age of 18, the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, aided by his friend Thomas Hogg, published an essay in pamphlet form entitled “The Necessity of Atheism”. This led to their expulsion from Oxford College. Two years later, Shelley expanded the essay as part of the Notes to his poem “Queen Mab”.

Prior to the publication of The Origin Species by Charles Darwin in 1859, publicly declaring oneself an atheist was rare and scandalous. Though famous as a lyrical poet, Shelley was equally interested in science and philosophy. (His wife, Mary Shelley, wrote the novel Frankenstein.)

August Berkshire is a past president of Minnesota Atheists and has been an active member of the atheist movement since 1984.

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Documents referenced:
- https://mnatheists.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Shelley-Bibliography.pdf
- https://mnatheists.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Poems-by-Percy-Bysshe-Shelley.pdf

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