James Le Fanu

A rearguard action from the spiritual army. The theme. the limits of science, is a fascinating one but he tries to make a case for science having reached some sort of non-result. Does quite a good overview of progress in evolution, genetics and neurology, coming to the conclusion that everything is a lot more complicated than anyone expected; the tremendous new discoveries leave quite a lot unexplained. Fair enough so far. he then concludes, advocates, predicts, hopes that science will enter a new paradigm in which the non-material, subjective aspect has pride of place. He stops short of pushing for a religious revival but bangs on a lot about things like smelling a rose or hearing the sound of waves breaking. It all seems a trifle thin, and I suspect he's not putting all his cards on the table. There's little mention of other sciences, such as physics or maths and whether they are also experiencing this supposed yearning for meaning.Tellingly Le Fanu doesn't really discuss the scientific method (testing hypotheses, repeatable experiments, use of evidence, a sceptical stance). In fact it seems quite normal that new discoveries lead to surprises and new questions.

Twice he gives space to extensive quotes from the mathematical approaches of Fisher and Hamilton, only to point out their obscurity. Difficult for the layman to understand does not mean wrong or misleading, it just means difficult. This is a pretty cheap trick for a science writer: as if a half-educated person told an illiterate to "distrust all that book-larnin".

Near the end he airs the old trinity of Darwin, Marx and Freud, while admitting that Marx and Freud have already revealed their feet of clay and that he hasn't really discussed them; he says these three materialists have robbed us of meaning. But it's pretty clear that Marx and Freud were far from being any sort of scientist. I remember reading a book at school which made similar case: Darwin Marx Freud have killed the mystery of life, nothing but gaping masks remain. Not much new under the sun.

Best quote in the book is from Isaiah Berlin: "As for the meaning of life, I do not believe it has any - and it is a source of great comfort. We make of it what we can, and that is all there is to it. Those who seek some cosmic all-encompassing explanation are deeply mistaken". I felt my spirit lift as I read that. As I finished the book, as if in endorsement from the realm of coincidence, came a profile of Isaiah Berlin on the radio, lamenting the lack of such "public intellectuals" today.… (mais)