The History of the Devil - (Mint Editions (Nonfiction Narratives: Essays, Speeches and Full-Length Work)) by Paul Carus (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The History of the Devil (1900) is a philosophical study by Paul Carus. A lifelong Monist, Carus sought to apply a scientific analysis to the principles of humanity's religions. Credited with bridging the gap between Eastern and Western beliefs, Carus believed that the dualism rampant in the West could be replaced in order to establish a more equitable world where difference and diversity would be accepted and nurtured, rather than suppressed. "This world of ours is a world of opposites. There is light and shade, there is heat and cold, there is good and evil, there is God and the Devil. The dualistic conception of nature has been a necessary phase in the evolution in human thought." Recognizing the need for dualism in the history of humanity, Carus sought to promote the principles of Monism in the West, believing it could lead to a universal worldview capable of uniting East and West. A positivist and pantheist, Carus believed that by pursuing "in religion the same path that science travels, [...] the narrowness of sectarianism [would] develop into a broad cosmical religion which shall be as wide and truly catholic as is science itself." To lay the groundwork for this "cosmical religion," he investigates the figure of the Devil and the historical evolution of the concept of evil, which he saw as predating belief in goodness and God.

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From the Back Cover

What, or who, is the Devil, and what purpose does he serve in the evolution of human thought? Why must God, a supremely good being, have his counterpoint in a supremely evil adversary? To answer these questions and more, the author provides a scientific analysis of the Devil in religious thought. The History of the Devil is a book by Paul Carus.