William C. White

Steps, Faith to Reason William C. White

For centuries books have changed lives. Some even improved lives. This book provides an historical sketch of mankind's path during the past four millennia with a focus on mankind's use of faith and reason as faculties to guide life. Along this path there have been endless efforts to guide human lives; some even sought to reduce the brutishness of humans. Among the early efforts to encourage civility in human behavior were tenets, doctrines of faith-based religions. With faith, as used in this copy, one accepts without question doctrines and tenets of a religion. Later along mankind's path, reason developed as a faculty enabling one to question, to seek truths and to use integrity, ethics and morality to do what is right. As in any path, there are increments of progress, steps, which serve as landmarks along the way. Reason, with rational thinking, got a foothold in the second millennium B. C. E. beginning a transfer by mankind in using reason rather than faith as a faculty to guide human life. The text describes some of the more progressive, landmark steps by 11 historical figures in the path of mankind illustrating advantages of reason as a faculty to guide one's life. Many instances could mark the beginning of this path, but the one selected for the copy is the story of Abraham. With this person, beginning in Mesopotamia, the path traverses westward to the life of Thomas Paine in Paris, London and Philadelphia. The objective in this copy is to help the reader comprehend these progressive steps in utilizing reason rather than faith as a faculty to guide one's life and to correct intolerance, injustice and other brutishness of humanity. Relevant historical information on the notable humans taking these steps, and on their times, hopefully will provide useful illumination for the steps described. "White examines how men from Abraham and Seneca to Voltaire and Thomas Paine helped 'establish the use of reason rather