Question regarding works of Robert Ingersoll

Guys, gals and those of random and/or indeterminate persuasion,

I've decided to go ahead and read all or most of what Ingersoll wrote, including his speeches. For those knowledgeable regarding all things Ingersollish, is there any benefit to reading it in chronological order or did he present a fully formed argument out of the gate?

I'm thinking there might be some benefit to seeing his thought process and the resulting ideas develop along the way.

Tags: Ingersoll, agnosticism

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on January 23, 2013 at 11:04am

I would read "About the Holy Bible" to begin - and then start on the lectures and other works.

That's just my opinion though.

Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on January 23, 2013 at 11:52am

You can actually get the complete works of Ingersoll through iBooks, if you're so inclined. Now, these aren't his most popular literary works, but just the lectures and short stories. However, being that they are all conflated into one very handy source, I found it very helpful in keeping track of what I'd read, etc.

Permalink Reply by Pat on January 23, 2013 at 12:23pm

As near as I can tell, here is the link to his collected works, which are free. It's at www.infidels.org.

Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on January 23, 2013 at 2:18pm

Yep. Pat's way is definitely better than iBooks. That's an incredible source - bookmarked for sure.

Permalink Reply by Greg on January 23, 2013 at 3:27pm

Thanks peeple.

I'll get started on downloading from one of those sources. I'll probably pass on ibooks, especially if they're charging for something that old. I have an older Sony reader that I manage with Calibre. It's not cutting edge but I'm just so happy I can read again.

Even though nobody has chimed in with directions to read him in chronological order I may do so anyway. I found a site that lists all his communications in order.

Appreciate the comments.

Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on January 23, 2013 at 7:38pm

It's no charge for iBooks but I don't blame you, irrespective of it being free. Apple is... frustrating, to say the least.

I think I'm confused by your remark about the chronological order... doesn't the link Pat provided list them in precise order? Maybe I'm wrong...

Permalink Reply by Pat on January 24, 2013 at 8:27am

No, there not necessarily in chronological order, but they do list the dates most of the writings were made.

Permalink Reply by Greg on January 24, 2013 at 10:23am

Mathew,

I've found a website that lists pretty much everything he did in chronological order. In my original post, I was requesting advice as to whether or not it made any difference what order I read his works. I find in some cases, it helps to understand the author better when you can see the evolution of their thinking. It's a minor question though. I'll probably read the bulk of his work in order but slip in some of the later works just out of curiosity (can't help myself).

From what I can see, as with most speakers, certain speeches are repeated over time. I'm interested to see if those evolved as well or if they were repeated verbatim.

I don't "hate" Apple. I'd just rather get this stuff elsewhere. I've been irritated with them ever since both Amazon and Barnes and Noble eliminated their presence as itunes apps. I had money credited with itunes that suddenly became less useful when that happened. Most of that now goes to buying my son useless games he can play on my itouch. At least he's happy.

Permalink Reply by Mathew T. on January 24, 2013 at 11:41am

HA! Well, to the best of my understanding, those games are very effective in pacifying rowdy kids, so hopefully to some extent you'll get to enjoy them as well!

Thanks for clarifying - I suppose simply because most of the Ingersoll works I've read were in chronological order by date, I just assumed they all would be, but I think now that this is probably due to the fact that they were collected works, which likely pulled bits and pieces from several volumes.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Allan H. Clark on January 25, 2013 at 6:36pm

Ingersoll is good, but repetitive. You will not be reading the works of a philosopher who developed his ideas over a span of time, but an exposition of the same ideas many times with different examples. Ingersoll was a marvelous speaker according to those who heard him and a man of such great charm that even those who thought he was an instrument of the devil still liked to listen to him. He had wit, humanity, and insight in his speeches, but philosophically they are not deep.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Allan H. Clark on March 12, 2013 at 8:59pm

Susan Jacoby has just published a new biography of Ingersoll titled The Great Agnostic. What I've read of it so far is excellent.

Permalink Reply by Greg on March 12, 2013 at 9:44pm

I'm on it. Thanks for that tip.

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