Eonix Papers

Does religion have a monopoly on ‘enchantment’?
Weber linked rationalisation with ‘the disenchantment of the world’. But is it fair to equate the lack of religion to an absence of magic and mystery?
In 1918, the German sociologist, Max Weber, claimed that the spreading influence of scientific rationalism meant that religious explanations of the world would become [...]

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroaster
Until the late 1600s, Zoroaster was generally dated to about the sixth century BCE, which coincided with both the “Traditional date” (see details below) and historiographic accounts (Ammianus Marcellinus xxiii.6.32, fourth c. CE). However, already at the time (late nineteenth century), the issue was far from settled, with James Darmesteter pleading for a later date [...]

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The Gain from Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine, who died 200 years ago, inspired and witnessed the revolutions that gave birth to the United States and destroyed the French monarchy. A genuinely global figure, he anticipated modern ideas on human rights, atheism and rationalism. David Nash looks at his enduring impact.

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