The book was and is presented as a "journey through the history of the human imagination", which sounds promising. And while his journey starts in an interesting way, his religious beliefs of catholicism soon start to intervene. His interpretation of the Englightenment in the 18th Century France, and the demand for a secular society, are clouded by his own personal vision of how the world should be organised, instead of describing what the 'minds' of Enlightenment achieved. The role of religion in the last centuries is clearly overstated, and receives much more attention than its actual impact on society deserves.
"But after the failure of politics and the disillusionments of science, religion remained, ripe for revival, for anyone who wanted the universe to be coherent and comfortable to live in."
In fact, the book discusses the role of religion in a world of science where religion no longer has a true place, except as the object of research. But Fernández-Armesto does not delve into this. Quite to the contrary, religion offer meaning and is presented as a solution, its an apologetic proposition for the place of religion in society.
In a way, the publishing company lured its readers with false claims.
No comments:
Post a Comment