Atheism Conquered (Latin: Atheismus Triumphatus) is a philosophical work by the Italian Dominican philosopher Tommaso Campanella.
Campanella wrote Atheism Conquered in 1606–1607 in Italian, under the title of Recognoscimento della vera religione universale (Identification of the True Universal Religion), while in prison on suspicion of conspiracy to rebel against Spanish rule over Naples. On June 1, 1607, he dedicated it to the German scholar Caspar Schoppe, who had come to visit him and who suggested the new title. The Italian version survives in the Vatican Library; Campanella subsequently translated it into Latin. Schoppe was not able to have it published, nor was the philosopher Tobias Adami [de], who had other works by Campanella published in Frankfurt in 1617–1623. The Church regarded it as fomenting Pelagianism, a heresy in which the virtues of humanity are overemphasized at the expense of God's grace. In 1631, after great difficulty and censorship of the text more than once, Campanella managed to publish it in Rome, but the edition was almost immediately impounded. It was finally published in Paris in early 1636 in a collection of Campanella's writings dedicated to King Louis XIII.[1]
In the introductory chapter, Campanella juxtaposes politicians, whose viewpoint, based on self-love, maintains that all religion is political in origin and that there is no truth beyond that, and philosophers, who believe in universal truth and, seeking to benefit mankind but skeptical about supernatural dogma, live according to natural virtue. He wrote from prison that Atheism Conquered was "[a] volume against politicians and Machiavellians". In the second chapter, he presents arguments against religion, specifically Christianity, which he then rebuts in the remainder of the work from the perspective of the world being imbued with and an expression of the divine nature and of the unique nature of humanity in being able to achieve transcendent knowledge and religious insight. He argues that religion is part of natural law, that "human beings have a natural inclination toward justice and toward living within a religion", and that false religions are not an argument against the existence of religious truth, making a comparison with inept doctors not being an argument against the efficacy of medicine. He presents Christianity as the best candidate for a universal religion since it conforms best to natural law.[1]
Campanella described the work as representing his personal progression from rationalism to sincere Christian belief. However, both Protestants and Catholics found the arguments he presents for atheism disturbingly strong.[1] In The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene categorizes it as "a book attacking free-thinkers, Machiavellians, Calvinists, and heretics of all stripes" in which Campanella made the statements of heretical beliefs relatively "[b]rief and eloquent" and those for Catholicism "stale clichés and convoluted rationales", so that the work in effect promoted heresy while on the surface arguing for conformism, and became "a bible for atheists, Machiavellians and libertines".[2]
^ abcGermana Ernst, "Tommaso Campanella 6: Natural Religion: Atheism Conquered", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Fall 2014 ed., retrieved February 10, 2018.
^Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power, New York: Penguin, 1998, ISBN 9780670881468, pp. 320–21 (online at the Internet Archive).
AtheismConquered (Latin: Atheismus Triumphatus) is a philosophical work by the Italian Dominican philosopher Tommaso Campanella. Campanella wrote Atheism...
Criticism of atheism is criticism of the concepts, validity, or impact of atheism, including associated political and social implications. Criticisms include...
Atheism is the rejection of an assertion that a deity exists. In a narrower sense, hard atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
Ryukyu Shinto-ki 1607 in literature – L'Astrée (d'Urfé, first part), AtheismConquered (Campanella), Tom a Lincoln (Johnson, second part) 1608 in literature...
According to WIN-Gallup International's 2012 Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism, 79% of the respondents from Uzbekistan who took part in the survey considered...
engaged in forced atheism from its earliest days. Across Eastern Europe following World War II, the parts of the Nazi Empire conquered by the Soviet Red...
Irreligion in Mexico refers to atheism, deism, religious skepticism, secularism, and secular humanism in Mexican society, which was a confessional state...
annexation by the Soviet Union, which had held to the doctrine of state atheism. American North: the Moravian Historical Society and Historic Bethlehem...
declared himself an atheist Goparaju Ramachandra Rao – Indian activist for atheism; wrote in We Become Atheists, "I was conventionally orthodox and superstitious...
Christianity and established Christian denominations. He also criticized atheism. Hitler was born to a practicing Catholic mother, Klara Hitler, and was...
Disputandi – Art as Experience – As a Man Thinketh – As I Lay Dying – AtheismConquered – Atheist Delusions – Atlas Shrugged – Attacking Faulty Reasoning...
ISBN 978-0-691-01958-1. Phil Zuckerman (21 December 2009). "Chapeter 7: Atheism and Secularity in India". Atheism and Secularity. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-35182-2. Retrieved...
BCE, conquered and converted by John Hyrcanus Ituraeans (disputed), Lebanon and Syria, 2nd century BCE, who according to Josephus, were conquered and converted...
Marxist-Leninist 'Scientific Atheism' as the Science of Religion", Marxist-Leninist 'Scientific Atheism' and the Study of Religion and Atheism in the USSR, De Gruyter...
concerning The School of Night, or "School of Atheism" in the late 16th century, accusations of atheism were closely associated with disloyalty to the...
is a list of atheist authors. Mentioned in this list are people whose atheism is relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly...
which were conquered by the Soviet Red Army and Yugoslavia became one-party Communist states and the project of coercive conversion to atheism continued...
Nontheistic religions (not to be confused with atheism) are traditions of thought within a religious context—some otherwise aligned with theism, others...
entitled "Why I Am an Atheist" to address the question of whether his atheism was born out of vanity. In the essay, he defended his own beliefs and said...
atheists in politics and law. Living persons in this list are people whose atheism is relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly...
Delhi Sultanate conquered the northern Indian subcontinent, while Turkic dynasties like the Sultanate of Rum and Artuqids conquered much of Anatolia...
religions such as Tengri and Manichaeism. Around 440 CE they conquered Sogdiana then conquered Gandhara and pushed on into the Gangetic Plains. Their King...
in 1917. For fifteen years, Besant was a public proponent in England of atheism and scientific materialism. Besant's goal was to provide employment, better...
divorce, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, civil unions, secularism, and atheism. American conservative groups have made inroads promoting these policies...
“Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism” listed Iraq as one of six countries as having the lowest rate of atheism in 2012. After six years, with religious...
again the world will be free from all kinds of evil and asuras. Adharma Atheism Nastika Mleccha A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Klaus K. Klostermaier)...
Global Information