The Rape of Man & Nature: An Inquiry Into the Origins and Consequences of Modern Science

by Philip Sherrard

This book is addressed to all who are aware of the terrible predicament which faces us as a result the virtually complete take-over of our world by the modern scientific mentality. By examining the premises of modern scientific theory and practice, the author shows how the acceptance and implementation of the scientific world-view inevitably results in the progressive dehumanization of man and society. By placing the secular world-view within the perspective of spiritual anthropology and cosmology the author points to the only viable way of escaping from the self-destructive course on which we are now set. Reviewers were unanimous in their claim that this is a book of quite outstanding importance

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Politics, Christianity, History, Religion, Science

124 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

About the author

Philip Sherrard was educated at Cambridge and London and taught at the universities of both Oxford and London, but he made Greece his permanent home. A pioneer of modern Greek studies and translator, with Edmund Keeley, of Greece's major modern poets, he wrote many books on Greek, philosophical and literary themes. He was also the translator and editor (with G.E.H. Palmer and Bishop Kallistos Ware) of the Philokalia, a collection of texts in five volumes by the spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition.

A profound, commited and imaginative thinker, his theological and metaphysical writings embrace a wide range of subjects, from the study of the spiritualizing potential of sexual love to the restoration of a sacred cosmology which he saw as the only way to escape from the spiritual and ecological dereliction of the modern world.

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to give this a higher rating because Sherrard and I have a similar point of view, but he is so relentlessly polemical throughout that his arguments suffer from lack of clarity. It’s also a very boring book in general, much more so than Human Image, World Image. It’s essentially a survey of Western philosophical thought from the Socratics to Quantum Mechanics, which would be a hard needle to thread for anyone merely trying to explain how we got from point A to point B, but Sherrard is also trying to demonstrate how certain steps in this development led humankind away from Christianity and dehumanized the world. The word “rape” is in the title. He is pissed off about it. He has “wake up sheeple” old-man-shaking-his-fist-at-cloud sort of energy from the beginning to the end. As an intellectual history, there is some interesting trivia sprinkled here and there.

[Fr. Mark Sultani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and eye-opening. He has some Platonic tendencies that are a little spurious for Orthodox theology. Otherwise an excellent introduction into Orthodox Christian anthropology. He traces the thinking from Aquinas through the Enlightenment to today to explain our understanding of the world today has become thoroughly desacralized and divorced from God.

[Benjamin Clow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Academic and polemic. Found it much easier to understand when I had could read passages out with someone and discuss it with them. I don't hundred percent agree with it's presuppositionals, and I do wish he quoted the Bible more than the patristics but interesting nonetheless and definitely speaks powerfully into the abuse of the scientific method.

[Steve Bedford · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unfortunate title, though thought provoking. Short but quite dense.

I wish there was more discussion of the traditional, Platonic worldview within Christianity, or at least some suggested further reading. Coming from a modern western worldview, I found the first couple of chapters fascinating, but wanted to dive deeper into the concepts.

[Jason Aumen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read that just might change how you view things.

[Matt]

Too orthodox and philosophical for me to push through. I lack the background to comprehend this book.

[Blake Paine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherrard has great insight and is good at showing the consequences of a post-enlightenment worldview. Part of my ongoing desire to understand my inherited worldview and attempt to undo its effect.