Dialogic Forms in Freethought Periodicals: Free Discussion and Open Debate

Abstract

The nineteenth-century freethought movement championed atheist, agnostic, and secularist ideals alongside social radicalism more broadly. This article focuses on two of the periodicals that arose from this primarily working- and artisan-class movement: National Reformer (1860–93) and Secular Review/Agnostic Journal (1876–1907). Through debates, dialogues, and correspondence, the editors of and contributors to these weeklies demonstrated their commitment to open debate and honest enquiry as a tactic to overturn the dogmatism of religion and the unenlightened faith of believers. This article considers how dialogic forms enacted freethinking ideals, but it also identifies ways in which free debate could be more of an aspiration than a reality.