At War with Time - Western Thought from the Sages to the 21st Century (Hardcover)

In this history of Western philosophy, an award-winning historian revisits the milestones of Western religion and thought to propose new ways to find meaning and philosophical guidance in a "world beyond permanence". Going back to the roots of Judaism and Christianity, Eisendrath shows human history as a desperate attempt to deal with change by cultivating notions of permanence, such as the belief in an eternal God and soul, a meaningful history and fixed laws of nature. He shows how these notions of permanence have impacted almost every leading religious or philosophical work from the Gilgamesh Epic to Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason"; how recent developments in science and society have attacked these notions; and how a new philosophy of "impermanence" is well under way. The book is divided into two parts. The first concerns philosophical ideas promoting permanence beliefs, from the Sumerians to Hegelianian philosophy. The second concerns the emergence of the new "philosophy of change", as traced in the critical writings of Alfred North Whitehead and in fields of thought ranging as far as physics, cosmology, biology, neurology, artificial intelligence and cognitive psychology. This work is a rigorous attempt to break with the paradigm of a Western world in decline and an appeal to view the current climate as adventure in human responsibility and social reconstruction. Written by one of the leading thinkers of today's public policy and philosophy circles, it should be of use to anyone with an interest in the future role of Western culture, religion and identity. Comprehensive, accessible and written with great fluency, this book should particularly appeal to anyone seeking a worldview that reflects the advances of modernity while allowing meaningful action to improve society.