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9781845530181

A Chaos of Delight: Science, Religion and Myth and the Shaping of Western Thought

by ;
  • ISBN13:

    9781845530181

  • ISBN10:

    1845530187

  • Edition: 1st
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Copyright: 2014-10-17
  • Publisher: Routledge

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Summary

This book is a comprehensive tour guide into the succession of ways humans have constructed order and meaning about the world and their place in it. The journey examines how different cultures, from the early Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks to present-day western society, have looked at the same phenomena and devised totally different worldviews, ranging from deep mythopoeic supernatural reflections to purely physcial ones. What emerges from this exploration is that the most certain thing about human knowledge in general and western science in particular, is its uncertainty, Importantly, this does not do away with religion, but emphasizes from a cross-cultural perspective that one's religious views are framed by articles of faith derived from history and that within its highly prescribed boundaries, there exists a system that is just as dynamic as modern science.

Author Biography

Geoffrey P. Dobson is Associate Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.

Table of Contents

Prefacep. vii
Acknowledgementsp. ix
Science, religion and myth: making sense of the worldp. 1
Life among the gods, part I: the Sumerians - service and supplicationp. 23
Life among the gods, part II: ancient Egyptians - optimism and opportunityp. 55
The Presocratics: from myth to philosophical reasonp. 92
Classical philosophy: different roads to truthp. 140
Early Christianity: the historical road to one Godp. 186
Medieval Christendom: faith and reasonp. 219
The triumphant rise of Western science: methodologies, mathematics and measurementp. 257
The Big Bang: starlight to superstringsp. 300
Origins of life: from molecules to machinesp. 315
Humankind's evolutionary origins and emergence of mindp. 339
Tradition at the crossroads: seeking unity in diversityp. 370
Notesp. 375
Bibliographyp. 437
Indexp. 463
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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