The Secularization of the European Mind in the Nineteenth Century

Owen Chadwick's acclaimed lectures on the secularisation of the European mind trace the declining hold of the Church and its doctrines on European society in the nineteenth century.

Owen Chadwick (Author)

9780521398299, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 September 1990

296 pages
22.1 x 13.8 x 2 cm, 0.37 kg

'... provocative ... brilliant ... immense erudition.' Journal of Modern History

The declining hold of the Church and its doctrines on European society represents a major shift in Western life and thought. Owen Chadwick's acclaimed lectures on the secularisation of the European mind trace this movement in the nineteenth century, identifying and exploring both the social and the intellectual aspects of this momentous change. The rise of technology, the growth of big cities and a cheap press take their place alongside evolutionary science and Marxism in this fascinating analysis of the erosion of the Church's power. Woven into its brilliant discussion are brief but very illuminating studies of familiar major thinkers, including Marx, Darwin, Mill and Comte.

1. Introduction
Part I. The Social Problem: 2. On liberalism
3. Karl Marx
4. The attitude of the worker
5. The rise of anticlericalism
Part II. The Intellectual Problem: 6. Voltaire in the nineteenth century
7. Science and religion
8. History and the secular
9. The moral nature of man
10. On a sense of providence
Notes to the text
Index.

Subject Areas: Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], European history [HBJD]