Bayle and the American and African Atheists

Pierre Bayle did not have much to say about the religions of the native Americans or non-Christian Africans. When he did refer to them, it was usually to carry on by other means his critiques of Christianity. Atheist Americans and Africans are cited to demonstrate that atheists can have equal or better morals and politics than most Christians. From early work in 1682 to posthumous work published in 1707 Bayle returns to variations on this theme. One purpose is to justify toleration of atheists (and of other religions): they are harmless. Another point is to bring out the hypocrisy of Christians in claiming higher morals than others, but then not living up to them. That is part of a more general point that people everywhere do not live by their professed ideals but by their temperament, pleasures, ambitions, and habits. Along the way Bayle considers the charges of atheism against Spinoza, and while rejecting elements of Spinoza’s philosophy he vindicates him from charges of immorality on account of his atheism. The upshot of all of this is a clear case for freedom of religion and freedom of thought, and a powerful rejection of persecution on the basis of people’s beliefs.