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Last time, we discovered the world’s oldest Naturalistic Pagans* in the Ionian philosophers of ancient Greece. Yet, they comprised no more than a handful of intellectuals in a world full of theists. What was the effect of naturalism on the rest of Greece as it developed in the Classical period? Did it spread through the culture or remain isolated? [Read more...]
There are those who believe Naturalistic Paganism is but a modern thing, a young sapling in the forest of Paganism. In this article, the truth about its age is discovered. [Read more...]
This series on the history of ancient naturalism began with an overview that tipped my hand: I think naturalism emerged first in Classical Greece.* So, what was so special about the Greeks? Was their archaic culture (roughly 800 – 480 BCE) already inherently pregnant with the idea of naturalism? [Read more...]
Could there have been strands of naturalism running through archaic civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia? As in the cases of hunter-gatherers and early agricultural peoples, tempting evidence suggests it is possible, though unlikely. At the same time, there is good reason to believe these civilizations paved the way for the development of naturalism in later eras. [Read more...]
Early humans depended upon nature for their very existence. However, nature religion does not equal naturalism, a worldview that sees all primary causes originating in nature. Yet agricultural advances during the Neolithic period suggest the possible development of a key prerequisite of naturalism. [Read more...]
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