Evolution and Consciousness

by Leslie Dewart

Book by Dewart, Leslie

Genres: Philosophy

399 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1989

Reviews

[Allan Savage]

In his insightful review, Gregory Nixon states: 'Evolution and Consciousness was written before the consciousness studies boom of the 90's (which continues in this decade) but it was a mistake for it to languish so ignored. Much of the confusion of more recent writings on consciousness could have been avoided if the lessons of this book had been given a wider reading.' I agree. However, this book is more than an academic work on the contemporary understanding of consciousness. It probes into philosophical thought as far back as the Hellenists. Further, an appreciation of the profound thought in this book awaits anyone who is familiar with Leslie Dewart's earlier writings. Throughout his earlier philosophical works Dr Dewart had embarked on an intellectual process of 'dehellenization' which I suggest culminates in Evolution and Consciousness. Dehellenization is a positive process. It is not Un-hellenization, a negative process. For Leslie Dewart dehellenization is an evolutionary process within modern Western philosophy which meets satisfactorily the needs of the contemporary critical thinker. Given a good grasp of Dewart's notion of dehellenization, then, the reader will discover in this book a clear and useful presentation of the fruit of Dewart's philosophical thought for contemporary philosophy. From my perspective, however, serious Western readers, (the non-serious reader will likely abandon the book), will most likely experience a rise in their philosophical anxiety level. This is a common experience as one moves from a scholastic to phenomenological philosophical perspective. The deconstruction of one’s inherited way of thinking, as Dewart labels his dehellenization, is a threatening activity. As an invitation to philosophical growth, Dewart's dehellenization is the conscious creation of the future of belief within an evolutionary context. Linguistic skills and notions evolve within our human capacity for self-reflection. The book, in short, is an examination of evolutionary philosophical maturity within our contemporary western experience.