7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jaki In Rare Form, March 24, 2008
This review is from: Angels, Apes, and Men (Paperback)
Jaki is an historian of science possessed of a brilliant intellect, but he is also a brilliant and entertaining writer, and wickedly funny, to boot. This short book is one of my favorites of his. In it he treats, in about 100 pages, the radically different views of man held by scientists and theologians down through the ages. If the subject sounds a little dry, in Jaki's hands it is not (and I am no theologian or philosopher, just a simple liberal arts major). He has a wonderful gift for the vivid and telling anecdote -- for a few well-chosen descriptive strokes and quotes that bring an historical figure to life on the page. That is the surface pleasure of the book, with its deeper pleasure the elegance and force with which Jaki sets forth his larger thesis. Recall he is an historian of science -- with a gifted historian's ability to perceive telling connections and patterns within the shapeless mass of facts that make up the historical record. And like all great historians Jaki has, too, a marvelous literary gift for conveying his opinions and conclusions in language that imprints them on the mind in a powerful and persuasive way.
To sum things up, here's a nice quote from a 1984 review of the book by M.D. Aeschliman: "Only a hundred pages long, Jaki's 'Angels, Apes, and Men' is the distillation of a lifetime of profound learning; it is a magisterial book that by its sure and eloquent command of scientific history and philosophical rationality joins what errant and transgressive minds too often put asunder, the worlds of matter and mind, of physics and metaphysics, of science and religion."
If you are new to Jaki, the place to begin is with his masterwork,
The Savior of Science. But if you are already familiar with the man's work, "Angels, Apes and Men" will not disappoint. It offers Jaki in top form, and a real treat for the Jaki fan.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
