Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; or, a Compendius System of Natural Religion (Summarized Edition)
Enriched edition. Rational Skepticism, Natural Religion, and Moral Philosophy in the EnlightenmentBy Ethan Allen
Length2h 24m
About this audiobook
Reason, the Only Oracle of Man advances a robust program of natural religion in which unaided reason, observation, and moral sense—not miracle or ecclesiastical decree—ground humanity's knowledge of God and duty. Allen dismantles claims to special revelation, exposes contradictions in Scripture, rejects predestination and priestcraft, and posits a rational, benevolent moral order discernible in nature. Written in an energetic, frontier-inflected Enlightenment prose, the treatise stands within transatlantic deism while anticipating later American debates over revelation and religious liberty. Ethan Allen—a Revolutionary War hero and leader of the Green Mountain Boys—brought to this work the temper of a self-educated iconoclast. His frontier republicanism, hard-won distrust of hierarchical authority, and immersion in Enlightenment freethought shaped his critique of clergy and creeds. Written in the early national period, the book channels Allen's conviction that civic virtue and human happiness flourish when religion is accountable to reason. This volume rewards readers of intellectual history, theology, and American studies alike. Whether one shares its deism or not, Allen's lucid provocations sharpen thinking about authority, conscience, and evidence. It is essential for understanding the radical edge of early American religion and the prehistory of secular liberalism.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
Audiobook details
GenrePhilosophy
Length2 hrs 24 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 10, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
5Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural Religion
2Introduction
6Analysis
3Synopsis
7Reflection
4Historical Context
More from Ethan Allen
Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural Religion (Annotated)Ethan Allen6h 8m4.0 (168)$2 · $0.00
Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural ReligionEthan Allen6h 6m3.9 (48)$1 · $0.00
Of the Capture of Ticonderoga: His Captivity and Treatment by the BritishEthan Allen3h 34m$1 · $0.00
Rationalist Foundations of Secular Humanist Ethics – 4 Classic Philosophical StudiesEthan Allen, Annie Besant, Robert Green Ingersoll, Jean-Marie Guyau45h 9m$2
IlluminationsWalter Benjamin10h 12m4.4 (16.2K)$20 · $0.00
That Bird Has My WingsJarvis Jay Masters9h 49m4.4 (13.7K)$29 · $0.00
Tâo Teh KingLaozi2h 34m4.4 (230.9K)$2 · $0.00
SymposiumPlato3h 26m4.4 (97.9K)$1.20 · $0.00
Buddhist Boot CampTimber Hawkeye2h 39m4.4 (8.4K)$18 · $0.00
Enchiridion & The Discourses of Epictetus (Annotated)Arrian Epictetus18h 9m4.4 (3.5K)$2 · $0.00
The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius AntoninusEmperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius5h 41m4.4 (1.8M)$1 · $0.00
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky23h 11m4.4 (1.3M)$12 · $0.00
MeditationsMarcus Aurelius5h 52m4.4 (433.7K)$1 · $0.00
Everyday DharmaSuneel Gupta5h 2m4.5 (761)$20 · $0.00
The Joyful Wisdom ("La Gaya Scienza")Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche11h 37m4.4 (26.6K)$1 · $0.00
The Art of LivingEpictetus, Sharon Lebell3h 16m4.4 (50.1K)$18 · $0.00
MeditationsEmperor Of Rome Marcus Aurelius7h 23m4.3 (477.5K)$1.20 · $0.00
The Imitation of ChristThomas à Kempis6h 27m4.3 (84.6K)$21 · $0.00
Sadhana: the realisation of lifeRabindranath Tagore3h 49m4.4 (8.6K)$6 · $0.00
SapiensYuval Noah Harari15h 18m4.3 (1.4M) · 1193$33 · $0.00
You BelongSebene Selassie8h 35m4.4 (2.7K)$26 · $0.00
The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ (from the Mahâbhârata)Anonymous2h 18m4.4 (3.2K)$2 · $0.00
The KybalionThe Three Initiates3h 47m4.3 (58.7K)$20 · $0.00
Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social ReformerZhuangzi14h 42m4.4 (1.2K)$1 · $0.00
You may also like
The Philosophy of SpinozaBenedictus de Spinoza11h 35m4.3 (1.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Age of ReasonThomas Paine36h 44m4.3 (12.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Social Contract & DiscoursesJean-Jaques Rousseau13h 19m4.1 (5.8K)$2.30
A Discourse Upon the Origin and the Foundation of the Inequality Among Mankind Jean-Jacques Rousseau2h 51m4.0 (21.8K)Free
KangarooDavid Herbert Lawrence16h 58m3.5 (2.9K)$1.20 · $0.00
LeviathanThomas Hobbes23h 2m3.7 (59.8K)$4 · $0.00
The Social ContractJean-Jacques Rousseau10h 49m3.9 (68.7K)$9 · $0.00
On the Nature of ThingsTitus Lucretius Carus7h 42m4.3 (17.1K)$2.30
Defeating Darwinism by Opening MindsPhillip E. Johnson4h 42m3.9 (1.7K)$15
Reason, the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compendius System of Natural ReligionEthan Allen6h 6m3.9 (48)$1 · $0.00
Reason, the Only Oracle of ManEthan Allen5h 16m$21 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the First Fathers of the ChurchAthanasius of Alexandria, Gregory of Nyssa, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Ignatius, Papias, Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Commodianus, Mathetes, The Pastor of Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Origen, Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius, Archelaus, Peter of Alexandria, Alexander of Lycopolis, Methodius, Arnobius, Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius Urbanus, Victorinus, Dionysius of Rome, Theodotus, Aristides536h 23m$1.99 · $0.00
The Philosophy of Life and LanguageFriedrich von Schlegel19h 16m3.9 (40)$2 · $0.00
WHAT IS MOB MENTALITY? - 8 Essential Books on Crowd PsychologyCharles Mackay, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Gerald Stanley Lee, Gustave Le Bon, William McDougall, Everett Dean Martin, Wilfred Trotter108h 12m$1 · $0.00
William BlakeOsbert Burdett6h 49m3.2 (15)$18 · $0.00
The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)William Mitchell Ramsay14h 28m4.0 (72)$2 · $0.00
The Evolution of LoveEmil Lucka8h 7m$2 · $0.00
Exploring Spinoza - A Conversation with Susan JamesHoward Burton1h 53m$3 · $0.00
Romance: Two LecturesWalter Alexander Sir Raleigh1h 15m$2 · $0.00
One Hundred Proofs That the Earth Is Not a GlobeWilliam Carpenter2h 18m3.4 (536)$2 · $0.00