Synopses & Reviews
After a Darwinian-type account of what beliefs are and how they arose in animals acting to cope with their environments--"low beliefs," virtually all of which are true--Wallace Matson here shows how the invention of language led to imagination and thence to beliefs formed in other ways ("high beliefs"), not true though thought to be, which could be consolidated into mythologies, the first Grand Unified Theories of Everything. Science began when Thales of Miletus produced a Grand Theory based on low ("everyday") beliefs. Matson traces the course of science and philosophy through seven centuries to their sudden and violent displacement by Christianity with its Grand Theory of the old type. Against the widespread opinion that modern philosophy has slowly but completely emancipated itself from bondage to theology, he shows how remnants from the medieval 'interlude' still lurk unnoticed in the purportedly neutral notions of logical possibility, possible worlds, and laws as commands, to the detriment of the natural harmony between science and philosophy, including ethics. Accessibly written, this is a book for all who are interested in the foundations of 21st century thought and who wonder where the cracks might be.
Review
"While utilizing the insights and criticisms of philosophers and scientists before him, the book avoids the literary downfalls of its predecessors; it is succinct, approachable, and immensely enjoyable to read. Each chapter offers up a distinct focus and resolves in a clarifying abstract. The topics addressed inevitably set the book as a spark for debate between scholars and laymen alike, but it serves also as tangible proof of the low belief that philosophy matters every day."--Publishers Weekly
"This remarkable work by Matson can be read on the surface as an engaging journey through intellectual history, rich in details drawn from the author's encyclopedic knowledge of the history of philosophy...For general readers this is an accessible, intriguing history of philosophy. It will appeal to all who seek to understand the ongoing tension between religious belief and scientific theory. Highly recommended."--CHOICE
About the Author
Wallace Matson is Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley. He is the co-author of
A New History of Philosophy, Vol. I and II. Table of Contents
1. Introduction.
PART ONE. BEFORE MILETUS
2. A Brief History of Coping.
3. Language
4. High and Low Beliefs
5. The 'Will to Believe'
6. Eden
7. Babylon
PART TWO. MILETUS TO ALEXANDRIA
8. Miletus: the Invention of Science
9. Anaximander and Anaximenes
10. Science and Philosophy Come to Italy
11. Athens I
12. Atomism
13. Athens II: Plato
14. Athens III: Aristotle
15. Alexandria
16. Beliefs About Believers
PART THREE. THE LEGACY OF CHRISTIANITY
17. Jerusalem Collides with Athens
18. Cartesianism
19. Miletus Preserved I: Hobbes
20. Institutions
21. Miletus Preserved II: Spinoza
22. The Strange Case of David Hume
23. Ethics Without Edification.
24. L'Envoi
25. Conclusion?