July 21
Anthony Collins
On this date in 1676, Anthony Collins, called the “Goliath of freethinking” by Thomas Huxley, was born in Heston, England. Collins studied at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge, and was a close friend of John Locke. He moved in a circle of leading freethinkers, including John Toland and Matthew Tindal. “An Essay Concerning the Use of Reason” was published (anonymously) in 1707, along with a letter addressing immateriality and the soul. A debate in 1708 with Samuel Clarke resulted in the publication of four pamphlets by each participant.
In 1710 Collins wrote “Vindication of the Divine Attributes, in Some Remarks on Archbishop (King’s) Sermon.” The 1713 book, A Discourse of Freethinking, was his most influential work, helping to popularize the term “freethought.” Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Human Liberty, published in 1717, won the praise of Voltaire. The Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion (1724) rejected the claim that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. Although Collins left England for a time when debate heated up after the publication of A Discourse of Freethinking, the courteous scholar was taken most seriously by leading religionists and Anglicans.
Grounds, with its serious arguments against prophecy and its advancement of the scientific principle, provoked more than 30 books and essays by religionists trying to counter it. Collins is best described as a deist and materialist who opposed “priestcraft,” although he did differentiate between good and bad priests. He willed his unpublished manuscripts to Pierre Desmaizeaux, who sold them after Collins’ death in 1729 to his widow. It appears that she then destroyed them. Desmaizeaux quickly regretted his decision but it was too late. (D. 1729)
© Freedom From Religion Foundation. All rights reserved.āThe Use of the Understanding, in endeavouring to find out the Meaning of any Proposition whatsoever, in considering the nature and Evidence for or against it, and in judging of it according to the seeming Force or Weakness of the Evidence.ā
ā Collins' definition of freethought, "Discourse of Freethinking" (1713)
Robin Williams
On this date in 1951, actor and comedian Robin McLaurin Williams was born in Chicago to model Laurie McLaurin and auto executive Robert Williams. He grew up in Bloomfield, Mich., and Marin County, Calif. He studied political science at Claremont McKenna College (then Claremont Menās College), but left to study theater at a community college before receiving a full scholarship to the Juilliard School in 1973.
Scoring a guest role on the sitcom āHappy Daysā in 1978, Williams gained instant recognition as the eccentric alien Mork. Following the success of āMork and Mindy,ā which aired for four seasons, Williams was catapulted into a long and illustrious career, beginning with major movie roles in āPopeyeā (1980) and āThe World According to Garpā (1982). His stand-up television specials included āOff the Wallā (1978), āAn Evening with Robin Williamsā (1982), āRobin Williams: Live at the Metā (1986) and “Robin Williams: Live on Broadway” (2002).
He portrayed Oliver Sacks in the 1990 film drama āAwakenings,ā based on Sackās moving memoir about briefly reviving catatonic patients. Williams captured Sacksā mannerisms so perfectly that Sacks notes some people have actually accused him of imitating Robin Williams. Other films included āGood Morning, Vietnamā (1987), āDead Poets Societyā (1989), āThe Birdcageā (1996), āThe Fisher Kingā (1991), āHookā (1991), āAladdinā (1992), āMrs. Doubtfireā (1993), āJumanjiā (1995), āGood Will Huntingā (1997), āFlubberā (1997), āInsomniaā (2002), āNight at the Museumā (2006), āHappy Feetā (2006), āNight at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonianā (2009) and āThe Butlerā (2013). Williams starred in the off-Broadway production of āWaiting for Godotā (1988) and in the Broadway show āBengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zooā (2011).
Beyond bringing entertainment to millions, Williams aimed to bring provocative ideas into the public consciousness. His āWar of Self-Destructionā tour in 2009 was rife with irreverent stabs at American politics, the Iraq War, religion and the papacy. āThe Vatican and homosexuality: oil, water. The pope is always āhomosexuality is an abomination.ā Timeout. … Youāre dressed like Freddie Mercuryās stunt double. Your purse is on fire and youāre surrounded by hundreds of boys and youāve had kind of a problem in the after school area.ā (āRobin Williams: Live on Broadway.ā) He was raised an Episcopalian, or as he quipped, āCatholic Lite ā same rituals, half the guilt.ā Williams took a critical stance on religious fundamentalism: āFundamentalists take it to be āthe Word,ā not translatable, not metaphorical, āthe Word.ā In the beginning, Genesis, āLet there be Light.ā Could that be a metaphor for the big bang? āNo! God just went click.ā “
After battling depression and drug addiction for many years, Williams took his own life by hanging in 2014. An autopsy revealed he had diffuse Lewy body dementia, which had been diagnosed as Parkinson’s. He was survived by his wife Susan Schneider (2011-14) and children, Zak, from his first marriage with Valerie Velardi (1978-88) and Cody and Zelda, from his second marriage to Marsha Garces (1989-2008). D. 2014.
āAnd the next day the miracle occurred ā crucifixion, resurrection, and he rose again from the dead and if he sees his shadow, another 2,000 years of guilt.ā
ā āRobin Williams: Live on Broadwayā (2002)