God the Known and God the Unknown

audiobook

God the Known and God the Unknown

by Samuel Butler

EN·~1 hours·13 chapters

Chapters

13 total

GOD THE KNOWNANDGOD THE UNKNOWN

0:02

By Samuel Butler

0:01

Prefatory Note

1:10

GOD THE KNOWN and GOD THE UNKNOWN

0:02

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION

9:40

CHAPTER II. COMMON GROUND

4:33

CHAPTER III. PANTHEISM.

10:50

CHAPTER IV. PANTHEISM.

11:21

CHAPTER V. ORTHODOX THEISM

12:06

CHAPTER VI. THE TREE OF LIFE

12:55

Description

A bold, lyrical meditation invites listeners to reconsider the very idea of the divine. By juxtaposing the familiar, personified “known” God with a more elusive, ineffable counterpart, the work challenges the comfortable certainties that have long guided human thought. Its prose, rooted in the late‑Victorian era, weaves philosophy, science, and literary wit, prompting a fresh dialogue between faith and reason.

The central argument explores why societies tend to silence the most pressing questions, preferring settled doctrines that feel safe for collective action. Drawing on examples from biology—our blood circulation, respiration, and evolutionary change—the author shows how habit and tradition lock us into fixed ways of seeing, even when deeper mysteries beckon. Listeners are encouraged to glimpse the tension between the comfort of accepted beliefs and the unsettling allure of the unknown, setting the stage for a thoughtful journey that continues to resonate today.

Collections

Browse all

Details

Language

en

Duration

~1 hours (90K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Elliot S. Wheeler, and David Widger

Release date

2001-02-01

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler

1835–1902

Best known for the sly, unsettling satire Erewhon, this Victorian writer had a gift for questioning whatever his age took for granted. His work mixes wit, doubt, and sharp observation in ways that still feel fresh.

View all books

You may also like