A chaos of delight : science, religion and myth and the shaping of Western thought / Geoffrey P. Dobson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dobson, Geoffrey P., 1953-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and science.

Mythology.

Physical Description:

ix, 478 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; Oakville [Conn.] : Equinox Pub., [2005]

Summary:

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:

Science, religion and myth : making sense of the world

Life among the gods, part I : the Sumerians, service and supplication

Life among the gods, part II : ancient Egyptians, optimism and opportunity

The Presocratics : from myth to philosophical reason

Classical philosophy : different roads to truth

Early Christianity : the historical road to one God

Medieval Christendom : faith and reason

The triumphant rise of Western science : methodologies, mathematics and measurement

The big bang : starlight to superstrings

Origins of life : from molecules to machines

Humankind's evolutionary origins and emergence of mind

Tradition at the crossroads : seeking unity in diversity.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 437-462) and index.

ISBN:

1845530187

1845530195

OCLC:

57282346