I read this book with great delight, admiration and a deep sympathy. It gives a
true and up-to-date scientific history of the world from elementary particles
to human consciousness and culture. It brings into common perspective such
diverse areas as self organizing systems, cell biology, primate studies, brain
research, comparative history of religions, current critical psychoanalytic
theory and philosophy - more precisely epistemology. This may seem too much
for just one book, but the author succeeds brilliantly to convince us that -
while looking at the world - we can indeed
understand
this great story, conceive it as the result of evolution on emergent, ever
more complex levels. Thus the book may be seen as an elaboration of Einstein's
famous word: "The true miracle of this world is that we can understand
it", and Eberhardt even shows why we can do so.
Beyond all the beautiful science, I find particularly impressive Eberhardt's
thorough account of the emergent levels of the great religious systems through
the millennia up to "Christianity, the Blessed Illusion", and his
careful and deeply respectful explanation of religious faith on grounds of
brain architecture - a farewell to all gods: "The true story of life can
fill all the mythological needs ever experienced by humanity".
We are left with the great hope of enlightenment: That "Objective
Humanism" will act as a powerful antidote to the imminent and present
evils brought about by our own atavistic tendencies, by global exploitation and
bad government, and that it will help against the barbarization of culture and
the destruction of the eco-sphere. After humanity's childhood dreams and
adolescent turmoil, we finally are beginning to grow up to our adult
responsibilities. This is a hopeful book.
Dr. Gustav Obermair, Professor of Physics and former Rector of the University
of Regensburg.
If nowadays it appears possible to reintegrate our evergrowing scientific
knowledge into one great pattern, even to find back to a unified world view,
this is due to the idea of evolution. And it is indispensable that, from time
to time, someone redraws this fascinating evolutionary picture in a few lines
and colors. Nikolai Eberhardt, philosopher - scientist himself, has done this
job for us, and admirably. Look up any page or subject, and you will be
thrilled by the wealth of new information, by the combination of scientific and
philosophical arguments, by the intertwining of biology and culture. This fills
the gap between C.P.Snow's two or more cultures.
Dr. Gerhard Vollmer, Professor of Philosophy, University of Braunschweig.,
Author of several books on Evolutionary Epistemology.
