Erudite Thomas Jefferson, wily Benjamin Franklin, rough-hewn general Ethan Allen and Thomas Young (who instigated the Boston Tea Party)-the radicals who founded America set their sights on a revolution of the mind. Derided as "infidels" and "atheists" in their time, they wanted liberation from a king but also from supernatural religion. The ideas that inspired them were largely ancient, pagan and continental: the fecund universe of Lucretius; the potent natural divinity of Spinoza.

From the meaning of "nature's God" and "self-evident" in the Declaration of Independence to the sources of The United States's success in science, medicine, the arts, religious tolerance and democratic governance, Matthew Stewart's investigation surprises, challenges, enlightens and entertains as a philosophical detective story of the highest order.

About the Author
Matthew Stewart is an independent philosopher and historian who has written extensively about the philosophical origins of the American republic, the history of philosophy, management theory, and the culture of inequality. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, among other publications. In recent years he has lived in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, and is currently based in London.

Reviews
"...splendidly polemical account of the philosophy of the founding fathers..." -- Prospect


Awards
Short-listed for National Book Awards (Nonfiction) 2014.



Book Information
ISBN 9780393064544
Author Matthew Stewart
Format Hardback
Page Count 576
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 1095g
Dimensions(mm) 244mm * 165mm * 43mm