Lost, secret, censored, forbidden
Spent the day in the chapter on lost, secret, censored, and forbidden atheist docs. Protagoras’s On the Gods, of which only two sentences survive. The lost sutras of Carvaka, which called Hindu rituals “ignorant and unmanly” — then disappeared from history. Fortunately critics quoted long passages in order to rail against them, thereby wrapping them in a pretty bow and delivering them safely to posterity. Much of atheist history comes in the very same wrapping paper.
Included a para or two on Abu Bakr al-Razi, a 10th century Persian physician who defined new disease treatments, isolated new compounds, showed endless compassion for the less fortunate, saved countless lives — and oh, called Muhammad a fraud and a liar. Kind of out loud. Lots of his books on medicine and chemistry are still around, but the ones with titles like The Prophet’s Fraudulent Tricks and On the Refutation of Revealed Religions have gone inexplicably missing.
Also covered the censoring of Darwin by his own family and the censoring of Twain by his own damn self.
In the other track, I’m deep into secular morality. Stand by for questions on that. (And please, try not to snuff anyone while you’re waiting. I know it’s hard.)