A Chaos of DelightScience, Religion and Myth and the Shaping of Western Thought
Geoffrey P. Dobson
| Paperback Price £17.99/$35.00 |      |
Description
A Chaos of Delight is a comprehensive guided tour into the
succession of ways human beings have constructed order and meaning
about the world, and their place in it. The book examines how
various cultures, from the early Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks to contemporary Western society, have looked at the same
phenomena and devised totally different worldviews, ranging from deep
mythopoeic supernatural reflections to purely physical ones. One
unifying feature that stands out above all others as the most certain
thing about human knowledge in general, and science, religion or myth
in particular, is its uncertainty. From a cross-cultural
perspective, one's religious views are framed by articles of faith
derived from history, and within their highly prescribed boundaries,
there exists a system that is just as dynamic as modern-day science. In
profoundly subtle ways, the journey challenges the reader to confront
their own worldview, and to better understand its origins and
development through the history of ideas. An important lesson for the
third millennium is that diversity of opinion is healthy and
essential; it is blind acceptance of dogma that impedes
understanding and progress.
A Chaos of Delight is a comprehensive guided tour into the
succession of ways human beings have constructed order and meaning
about the world, and their place in it. The book examines how
various cultures, from the early Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks to contemporary Western society, have looked at the same
phenomena and devised totally different worldviews, ranging from deep
mythopoeic supernatural reflections to purely physical ones. One
unifying feature that stands out above all others as the most certain
thing about human knowledge in general, and science, religion or myth
in particular, is its uncertainty. From a cross-cultural
perspective, one's religious views are framed by articles of faith
derived from history, and within their highly prescribed boundaries,
there exists a system that is just as dynamic as modern-day science. In
profoundly subtle ways, the journey challenges the reader to confront
their own worldview, and to better understand its origins and
development through the history of ideas. An important lesson for the
third millennium is that diversity of opinion is healthy and
essential; it is blind acceptance of dogma that impedes
understanding and progress.
Contents
Preface
CHAPTER 1 Science, Religion and Myth: Making Sense of the World
CHAPTER 2 The Sumerians: Life among the Gods
CHAPTER 3 Ancient Egyptians: Optimism and Opportunity
CHAPTER 4 The Presocratics: From Myth to Reason
CHAPTER 5 Classical Greece: Different Roads to Truth
CHAPTER 6 Early Christianity: The Historical Road to One God
CHAPTER 7 Medieval Christendom: Faith and Reason
CHAPTER 8 Triumphant Rise of Western Science
CHAPTER 9 The Big Bang: Starlight to Superstrings
CHAPTER 10 Origins of Life: Molecules to Machines
CHAPTER 11 Humankind's Evolutionary Origins and Emergence of Mind
CHAPTER 12 Tradition at the Crossroads: Seeking Harmony in Diversity
Reviews
'Geoffrey Dobson's monumental work, A Chaos of Delight, is breathtaking in its daring. It explores the two ways which humanity has used to seek meaning and make sense of the world, namely religion and science. The result is a highly erudite summary of belief systems from early Sumerian to the monotheistic religions; and an eminently accessible history of science, particularly of the last 500 years. The synthesis of these pathways to "provisional truth" works stunningly well.’
Sir Gustav Nossal
‘Geoffrey Dobson's A Chaos of Delight offers a remarkable panorama of the human understanding of the natural and metaphysical world from the first civilizations to the present day. The book is also noteworthy for its engagement with a vast range of subject matter and for its balanced presentation of religious and scientific knowledge’.
Professor John Baines, The Oriental Institute, University of Oxford
'It is definitely useful for teachers and students wanting to make a quick introductory acquaintance with decisive developments in modern science and a brief overview of mythopoetic and religious systems of thought in the West.'
Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 36.1
Specifications
| ISBN-10 (Hardback) | 1845530187 (OP) |
| ISBN-13 (Hardback) | 9781845530181 (OP) |
| ISBN-10 (Paperback) | 1845530195 |
| ISBN-13 (Paperback) | 9781845530198 |
| Price (Paperback) | £17.99/$35.00 |
| Publication Date | May 2005 |
| Pages | 384 |
| Size | 234 x 156mm |
| Illustrations | 50 black and white maps, line drawings and diagrams |
| Readership | undergraduates and general interest |
| Availability | HB EDITION IS OUT OF PRINT |
| Search All Books
| ||
|
Recently Published Books
|
||
| Forthcoming Books
|
||
| Browse by Series | ||
|
||
Browse by Subject |
||
Publish with Us |
||
|
||
 |
