Customer Reviews

An Historian's Approach to Religion

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So often today things are taken out of context in order to sensationalize them, attract attention, market a particular point of view or build a drum beat of public opinion in furtherance of a particular cause. Arnold Toynbee's "An Historian's Approach to Religion" is refreshingly free of this and provides a lucid perspective for any thoughtful person who wants to understand this aspect of life. It isn't about the truth of any given religion but rather about the thinking and world view of religions and their influence and interaction with civilizations. I especially like the classical references and logic and the way those methods are compared and contrasted with modern empirical scientific approaches. Although I believe more in science than anything else, our scientific knowledge is firmly limited and circumscribed by the laws of science themselves, such as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. We need something more and Toynbee's book is open to all the methods of human knowledge: observation, logic, history, etc. and is in full sympathy with the best and noblest of human sentiments. Though first published in 1956, I can think of no more recent publication that provides a better perspective on the general topic of religion.