Title: Nature's God : the heretical origins of the American republic /
Authors: Stewart, Matthew, 1963-
Year: 2014
Subjects: Founding Fathers of the United States Views on religion.; Religion and state United States History; Natural theology Early works to 1800.; Church and state United States; United States Religion
Abstract: "Drawing deeply on the study of European philosophy, Matthew Stewart pursues a genealogy of the philosophical ideas from which America's revolutionaries drew their inspiration, all ... researched and documented and enlivened with storytelling ... Along the way, he uncovers the true meanings of 'Nature's God,' 'self-evident,' and many other phrases crucial to our understanding of the American experiment but now widely misunderstood"--Dust jacket flap.
Contents: The dirty little screw of the American Revolution -- Pathologies of freedom -- Epicurus's dangerous idea -- On the genealogy of Nature's God -- Self-evident truths -- The pursuit of happiness -- The empire of reason -- The religion of freedom.