John Toland’s birthday

 

John Toland (November 30, 1670 - March 11, 1722), Irish philosopher.

The term pantheist was first coined by John Toland (1670-1721), whose birthday is November 30th.  Paul Harrison describes him:

 

Toland was the first modern pantheist to combine a religious reverence for the Universe, with respect for science, and a belief that everything is made of matter.  A pantheist, he wrote to the German philosopher Leibniz, was one of those persons “who believe in no other eternal being but the universe.”  When asked for a brief statement of his credo, Toland replied, “The sun is my father, the earth my mother, the world is my country and all men are my family.”

 

2 Comments on “John Toland’s birthday

%d bloggers like this: