author
Benjamin Offen
A self-educated shoemaker turned lecturer, he became a spirited voice in 19th-century freethought. His surviving work argues for open discussion and challenges orthodox religious claims with unusual directness.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Benjamin Offen was an English-born author, lecturer, and freethinker associated with the radical culture of the early 19th century. An Oxford Reference entry identifies him as born on December 30, 1772, in Sussex, England, and describes him as a shoemaker by trade who educated himself.
After emigrating to the United States in the 1820s, he settled in New York City, which was then an important center for freethought. He is best known for A Legacy to the Friends of Free Discussion, a posthumously published work that reviews biblical history and argues for reasoned, open debate about religion.
What makes Offen interesting today is the path he took: not a university scholar or clergyman, but a working man who used reading, public speaking, and print to enter big moral and philosophical arguments. For listeners who enjoy outspoken historical voices and the long tradition of dissent in American life, his work offers a vivid example.