Description
Retired NASA scientist, Stuart Jordan, argues that the Western Enlightenment remains the right vision for a higher stage of human civilization, but which as of yet remains unattained. He broadly argues for its continued development and hopes that it may spur struggle against regressive forces we've not yet purged. He advocates secular humanism and the use of science for ascertaining universal knowledge, but is tolerant of religious humanists who are themselves tolerant. The book is organized into four sections that contextualize the historical enlightenment and its technological promise, as well as the prospects for progress opened up by science,. This is not an academic work, by the author's own admission, and while reasonably argued, it avoids critical depth. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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This thought-provoking analysis evaluates the progress that global society has made since the Enlightenment. The author begins by pointing out features of present-day society that are the direct descendants of the Enlightenment's discoveries and advances: our technology, modern medicine, science-based worldview, democratic political institutions, and concepts of human rights are all an outgrowth of the pioneering efforts of Enlightenment reformers. But along with these benefits, the author notes that we are also the inheritors of some significant problems produced in the wake of these advances; overpopulation, nuclear proliferation, and global climate change are just some of the recent developments that seem to threaten the whole Enlightenment project. Other great concerns include the continuing economic disparity between prosperous and impoverished nations, the persistence of widespread ignorance, and destructive reactionary forces bent on provoking new conflicts. Despite these and other daunting challenges of the twenty-first century, the author concludes on a cautiously optimistic note, predicting that the Enlightenment vision of prosperity, security, justice, and good health for all will eventually be achieved.
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