The Everlasting Man

Is the course of history one that was an accident that, nonetheless, had to occur due to man developing the way he has? Has mankind moved from barbarism to civilization? In other words, are things getting better? And has history turned out how it has so far by accident, or by the hand of a Being Who guided it's course?These are the questions that G. K. Chesterton attempted to answer in his extremely popular and influential book, <i>The Everlasting Man</i>. The results are mixed. This is not due to his not trying or being successful in his task, so much as the type of argumentation he makes, combined with science and history, to use a popular term, “marching on”.What I mean by this is that Chesterton's method of persuasion depends a lot more on philosophical questioning, than on logic. Those who are familiar with the name of Chesterton due to his being cited by C. S. Lewis, or others, as influences on them, may be disappointed if they are expecting to see exercises in logic. Not to say that Chesterton does not use any logic or reason, but that they are mainly in support of philosophical arguments, than themselves the core of the argument. In other words, unlike Lewis, for example, he does not break down the elements of a concept to it's basic components, and analyze them. Instead, he takes a position and defends it as is.Part of this, I think, was due to his heavy emphasis on Catholic theology and tradition. He wasn't one for breaking down arguments or ideas to their root concepts and moving from there. Instead, he seemed to accept Catholic ideas and traditions, and arguing why they are true.This does work to an extent, in that sometimes one doesn't want some overly cerebral argumentation, but may prefer a defense of an actual creed or ideals. The only thing that was unfortunate with the book, having nothing to do with individual taste, is the part of science and history that I alluded to earlier “marching on”.What I mean by that part is Chesterton's arguments based on evolutionary science and the history of medieval times or before. Look, regardless of whether one believes in evolution, creation, or theistic evolution (most scientists believe this last one, no matter what some talking heads tell you), you will decidedly <i>NOT</i> find any answers or arguments to use in this debate from <i>Man</i>. Science has really made strides since then to the extent that all but the most general concepts Chesterton discusses are not current.On the history front, Chesterton accepts a lot of false information about the negative traits of the “dark ages”. In C. S. Lewis' time, this popular notion of the ignorant dark ages was already well-known to be bunk, and today, it is all but dismissed by serious historians as ridiculous. But at the time of the book, the arguments against it were just starting to be made.The importance of the cautions in these two areas comes in because the author does use the bad information of the time in his philosophical musings. Taking them out doesn't make his arguments fall apart, but it is useful to note them, and be extra-cautious when considering those parts of his thesis.Overall, this was a brilliant defense of the traditional Christian and Catholic creed, and useful for those who wish to better understand said creeds.Highly Recommended.

This book is a timeless treasure! It is a masterful attack on modernist presuppositions. However this particular edition is a poor OCR to print edition. It is riddled with incorrect formatting which shows it was not proofed well. For example on page 25, the word “demd” appears. Evidently, the spell checking software\editor did not know what the word means. Following the word there seems to be an editors note: (sic) [damned? dimmed?]. Titles of books are not italicized. I could go on. In short, buy the book but not this edition. Buy it from other publisher.

I haven't read the book yet, because it just arrived. My comment is solely on the awkward size of the book. It measures approximately 18.9 cm x 24.6 cm (7 7/16" x 9 3/4"), which is just slightly bigger than an iPad air. The printing inside is large enough to be very readable and is printed in an attractive serif type face but arranged in two columns (presumably due to the large format of the pages).I probably would have bought a different printing if I knew this was such an awkward size.

This book opens up with a very strange discussion concerning our conventional assumptions regarding the "cave man", primitive man, and Neanderthals in general. Chesterton seems to believe that these people were much more intelligent and sophisticated than we give them credit for being. I interpreted this to be a sort of refutation or denial of Darwinism, although Darwinism is rarely if ever mentioned specifically. By assuming the cave man to be a more sophisticated spiritual being than previously assumed, Chesterton seems to be implying that these people had a direct relationship with God. From this we must assume that the cave man does not represent the "missing link" or evolutionary transitory species that would be critical to upholding Darwinism. In other words, Chesterton is trying to refute Darwinism by uplifting the cave man closer to our current level of intelligence, rather than degrade him into a neo-primate type creature representing a transitional phase between archaic primates and man. I will leave it to the reader to decide if this denial of Darwinism is convincing. But all the objective scientific purists out there will probably not be convinced by much of what Chesterton has to say, because he does not provide much in the way of scientific proof or examples. For some this might be an unpardonable sin, but in my opinion, this book is enhanced by the fact that it doesn't get bogged down with boring empirical details. Chesterton's non-scientific approach is refreshing in that it it readable, free-flowing, speculative, and somewhat instinctual. Although Chesterton relies heavily on his gut-feelings, and is highly speculative in his conclusions, the witty and down-to-earth writing style more than makes up for any lack of boring, scientific methodology in supporting these conclusions.This book is ideal for people who want to find the right balance between a book that is informative and thought-provoking on the one hand, but readable and enjoyable on the other. Sometimes it is important to forgoe enjoyment in the name of uncovering unbiased, objective truth, and granted, Chesterton does not establish anything close to such an objective, empirical truth in this book. However, there is a need for a style of free-flowing speculation, uninhibited and unencumbered by scientific rigour. It makes for a more enjoyable philosophy, which can cover more ground by being more generalized and all-encompassing, and less narrowly focused and specialized. In the end, much of what Chesterton has to say is sensible, plausible, and believable. We should take this book seriously; just not TOO seriously. I highly recommend this book to someone who wants a down-to-earth philosophical chat with one of the most skilled English authors of the twentieth century.

gostei

If it comes from G.K.Chesterton, one can always expect it to be exciting, challenging, and full of unexpected aspects. This book is not only a truly Chesterton work, but a strong argument about his Catholic faith.

The content of this book is rich and valuable and other reviews have already effectively proclaimed its merits.My comment here is a warning against getting the version from Wilder Publications 2008. It is riddled with missing punctuation, misspellings, and an inexcusably shortened Introduction. It is still readable, as much as the Mona Lisa is still visible through one's dirty glasses. But find a version from another publisher. I've just ordered the one published by Rough Draft Printing. I'll edit this review when I've gone through it to see if these problems are remedied.

Livre de référence que tout un chacun devrait avoir dans sa bibliothèque et le faire relier si possible. Du grand Chesterton

Wonderful a classic Chesterton.It makes appetite for more books by Chesterton.Recomendation for all with an open mind.For every believer a must read...