The Book Shelf: The “Great Agnostic” Robert G. Ingersoll on This Day in History

The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought by Susan Jacoby

This day in history: American lawyer, writer, orator Robert G. Ingersoll was born on this day in 1833. Ingersoll was one of the more prominent freethinkers of his time. He was known as the “Great Agnostic” and is famous for his skeptical approaches to popular religious beliefs. He would speak in public about orthodox views (Hell; the Trinity Doctrine) and would often poke fun at them. Guests would pay $1 to hear him speak. A dollar in his day was a hefty sum ($30 in 2020). Ingersoll was the leader of the American Secular Union, successor organization to the National Liberal League.

Ingersoll spoke during a time called the Golden Age of Freethought, and I have been told that the 19th century was the most atheistic in history. However, this same time period was also responsible for other fringe religious movements such as the Latter Day Saints, Spiritualism, Spiritism, Theosophy, Adventism, Christian Science, Christadelphians etc. I would include Socialism among those religious movements, since Socialism and its support for government power is merely a substitute for God.

Ingersoll also weighed in on Socialism as well: "I am an Individualist instead of a Socialist. I am a believer in individuality and in each individual taking care of himself, and I want the Government to do just as little as it can consistently with the safety of the nation, and I want as little law as possible—only as much as will protect life, reputation and property by punishing criminals and by enforcing honest contracts. But if a government gives privileges to a few, the few must not oppress the many. The Government has no right to bestow any privilege upon any man or upon any corporation, except for the public good. That which is a special privilege to the few, should be a special benefit to the many. And whenever the privileged few abuse the privilege so that it becomes a curse to the many, the privilege, whatever it is, should be withdrawn. I do not pretend to know enough to suggest a remedy for all the evils of society. I doubt if one human mind could take into consideration the almost infinite number of factors entering into such a problem. And this fact that no one knows, is the excuse for trying. While I may not believe that a certain theory will work, still, if I feel sure it will do no harm, I am willing to see it tried."

—New York World, October 26, 1886.

"Unless humanity is a failure, society will improve from year to year and from age to age. There will be, as the years go by, less want, less injustice, and the gifts of nature will be more equally divided, but there will never come a time when the weak can do as much as the strong, or when the mentally weak can accomplish as much as the intellectually strong. There will forever be inequality in society; but, in my judgment, the time will come when an honest, industrious person need not want. In my judgment, that will come, not through governmental control, not through governmental slavery, not through what is called Socialism, but through liberty and through individuality. I can conceive of no greater slavery than to have everything done by the Government. I want free scope given to individual effort. In time some things that governments have done will be removed. The creation of a nobility, the giving of vast rights to corporations, and the bestowment of privileges on the few will be done away with. In other words, governmental interference will cease and man will be left more to himself. The future will not do away with want by charity, which generally creates more want than it alleviates, but by justice and intelligence. Shakespeare says, 'There is no darkness but ignorance,' and it might be added that ignorance is the mother of most suffering."

—The Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, September 30, 1886.

"The definition of socialism given by its bitterest enemy is, that idlers wish to live on the labor and on the money of others. Is not this definition—a definition given in hatred—a perfect definition of every monarchy and of nearly every government in the world? That is to say: The idle few live on the labor and the money of others."

—The Mail and Express, New York, November 3, 1887.