I have hesitated to get involved in this in case it was a mere tempest, but I will comment now that it has been found this engaging....Charles's basic point is reasonable enough: to list those who are generally credited with deploring the constraints of civilized life ("Man is born free, but everywhere is in chains"),or with undermining man's sense of dignity as a being distinct from the beasts ("The Descent of Man", speculatively from the great apes), and to attribute to them a baneful effect on the Modern Age. I believe the business about the Index was banter initiated by Joan, and it is rather late in the game to suppose that the Index would effectively save anyone from anything, so I didn't take that part seriously. In any event, it is not incumbent on Charles to have read absolutely everything on his own list, even if it would enhance his credibility, since we often rely on informants we find credible in commenting on issues. And, judging from my acquaintance with him on the threads, it is likely enough that he has read some....
....Having said that, I think that it was inevitable that there be a "free for all" as science rose in prestige, and religious faith came under scrutiny, and that trying to resist through instruments like the Index was always futile, and suspect insofar as some of the issues raised in those books may have had value, and contributed to the stock of human knowledge and understanding. In that sense, it is probably better to confront each author and text on its own merits, and see what one finds, than to deplore broad "influences"... |
