About this episode

The episode explores Jean Meslier's arguments against religion and its role in producing obedient subjects.

Jean Meslier, a rural French priest, argued that religion is designed to produce subjects who will automatically obey. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert concepts and stories that provoke, enrich and expand our horizons. Aeon is a nonprofit digital magazine publishing essays and videos that seek to illuminate the big questions of life. Free to read and now free to listen, Aeon’s mission is to share knowledge and insight with everyone, everywhere. Discover essays and videos at aeon.co . Aeon essays are only ever written and edited by human experts. We use AI for audio narration only.

People in this episode

Host: Aeon

Topics covered

• atheism
• religion
• obedience
• philosophy
• society

Keywords

• Jean Meslier
• atheism
• religion
• obedience
• philosophy
• society
• Aeon

More episodes of Aeon Magazine

• Beyond Greece and Rome · July 20, 2026 · 28 min
• Transit of wonder · July 17, 2026 · 20 min
• Loitering towards war · July 16, 2026 · 27 min
• The looting of science fiction · July 14, 2026 · 29 min
• Unmothered · July 13, 2026 · 21 min
• Lore of the rings · July 10, 2026 · 22 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Aeon Magazine podcast page.