An Address to Men of Science: Calling Upon Them to Stand Forward and Vindicate the Truth....Carlile, Richard
Religion
An Address to Men of Science: Calling Upon Them to Stand Forward and Vindicate the Truth....
Carlile, Richard
Science; Superstition
The Man of Science ought not to look at, or respect, any thing but the
discovery and propagation of truth. Instead of respecting mischievous
and erroneous establishments, he, of all men, is bound, by every
honourable tie, to make an exposure of them, and to teach the people
right from wrong. His knowledge and discoveries should be like the
benefits of Nature dispensed alike to all without price or reward. He
ought to be the patron of truth, and the enemy of error, in whatever
shape it might appear, or whatever effect it might produce. Like Nature
herself, he should be no respecter of persons or of things individually
but collectively.
I have now gone through the first head of this Address, and I trust
that I have performed what I promised under it. I have shewn that Men
of Science, either from having their minds tinged with superstition,
or from the fear of offending those who might labour under that malady,
have deprived society of many of those benefits which it was their
bounden duty to have conferred upon it. They have withheld from the
public the most important discoveries, because, as the Christian
Inquisition said to Galileo, such discoveries, or such doctrines,
were contrary to those of the Holy Bible. Shame upon such dastardly
principles, say I--they are a disgrace to mankind, which assumes a
superiority over all other animals. We had better never have possessed
the gift of speech, and its consequent reason, if we are only to use it
for the propagation of falsehood, and the production of misery, to
the majority of the species. I have broken through the trammels of
Priestcraft publicly, I bid defiance to all the persecution it can
inflict upon me, and I now call upon the Men of Science in this island
to stand forward and support me. However it might affect the momentary
interest of individuals, ought not to be a question, it is certain that
superstition would not linger another year, if the Philosophers of the
country would stand forward and make war upon it: they would then find
that the extortions of the Priesthood would be willingly given for the
erection of Temples of Science, and the support of competent professors
in the Arts and Sciences; and that a mutual instruction in every thing
that can benefit a society would be the first and last object in view,
both individually and generally.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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