Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man [Paperback]

Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2007

This work from one of the world's leading Islamic thinkers is a spiritual tour de force which explores the relationship between the human being and nature as found in many religious traditions, particularly its Sufi dimension. The author stresses the importance of a greater awareness of the origins of both the human being and nature as a means of righting the imbalance that exists in our deepest selves and in our environment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

His compelling appeal for a more spiritual approach to nature has a specially important bearing on the modern world. -- Michael Loewe

His knowledge of western scientific writing is profound, his criticisms well documented. -- Times Literary Supplement

This book should be prescribed reading for anyone concerned with the present crisis in our civilization. Professor Nasr's wisdom covers an immensely wide range of philosophical and religious knowledge, enabling him not only to elucidate the causes of our present dilemma, but also to guide us in the task of rediscovering a world view in which Man, Nature and God are seen in their proper harmony. -- Carmen Blacker

About the Author

Seyyed Hossein Nasr was born in Tehran in a family of traditional scholars and physicians. After receiving has early education in Iran, he came to America where he studied physics, the history of science and philosophy at MIT and Harvard from which he received his doctorate. Nasr was professor at Tehran University and founder and first president of the Iranian Academy of Philosophy. He is presently University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: Kazi Publications; Rev Sub edition (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1871031656
• ISBN-13: 978-1871031652
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ecology, Modern Man, and Spiritual Crisis., August 24, 2002

By 

New Age of Barbarism "zosimos" (EVROPA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man (Paperback)

In this short book, Seyyed Hossein Nasr takes a look at the relationship between man and nature and the spiritual crisis that inflicts modern man in his "war against nature". In examining ecological crisis, war, and industrial failure, Nasr argues that modern science has lost touch with the sacred in its applications. Rather than being rooted in the unified outlook of traditional man along with his religious traditions, modern man sees the world through the eyes of a crass materialism, scientism, and positivism. It is this lack of worldview which Nasr believes is the spiritual crisis behind the troubled relationship between man and nature. Nasr begins by examining this problem and explaining how a base scientism has attempted to uproot the understanding of traditional man. In making this comparison, Nasr looks at the alternative philosophies of science, beginning with the positivists and comparing them to the viewpoints of various religious philosophers on the question of science. Here it is necessary to understand the limitations of science, particularly as they apply to its application, which is at the root of the ecological crisis in modern man. Next, Nasr turns to the historical roots of science in Greek and Christian philosophy and theology. Nasr argues that much of the problem can be found in the neglect to emphasize these historical roots rather than simply glorify modern science. By placing science within its historical framework, it is possible to see exactly how the crisis has come about. Nasr argues that in particular, the breakdown of the Christian tradition and the secularization of science is at fault. Next, Nasr turns to the metaphysical principles that underlie man's understanding of nature. In particular, Nasr examines those principles as expounded in the traditions of the world's great religions: Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, particularly with reference to Sufism. Finally, Nasr seeks to explain how the retrieval of this traditional understanding of nature can be applied to the modern situation and crisis. The book concludes with a discussion of what Nasr believes to be the errors of such modern theories and notions as that of evolution. All in all, this book is an interesting discussion of the shifting relationship between man and nature, and it offers hope for the alleviation of spiritual crisis by returning to the traditions within the world's religions.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound and insightful, April 7, 2000

By 

R. Clampitt "seeker" (Palmdale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man (Paperback)

Seyyed Nasr, takes the reader through history and causes of the descralization of nature in the west and the resultant ecological crisis we face today. He shows how the west via the divorce of science from spirit has wrecked havoc on our planet. And also how the Christian faith helped accelerate this process when it removed elements of its metaphysical doctrines that kept nature as a part of the divine. In addition he elucidates how some of the philosophical schools of thought help widen the schism between man, nature and the divine. He closes with a chapter what can be done to correct the problem via the resacralization of nature as a reflection of the Creator.

Seyyed Nasr main thrust in correcting Christianity's loss of sapiential wisdom or gnosis is to turn to the eastern traditions like Tantra or Taoist alchemy. However considering the animosity that mainstream churches have towards the other spiritual traditions this is not likely to occur for a number of reasons.
1) The Christians who've adopted other methods are considered marginal at best, heretics at worst. Just try promoting yoga at your local highschool and see what happens. A current example would be Thomas Merton. He came closet to what Seyyed Nasr is asking. Still to many Christians he is considered an apostate.
2) Christianity in many instances has been reduced to down to after life fire insurance policy and God being a banker and greengrocer to the elect. Just get 'saved' and thats it.
3) Christian intellectual tradition is so bad nowadays as to be non-existent. So bad it took a devout Moslem to write about what should have been obvious to any Christian leader with a functioning brain.
4)To recreate a gnosis within Christianity it would take man whose a "finished student" of say Tantra and had the intellectual capacity and church authority to integrate these teachings in a seemless manner. Plus establish a living transimission. No small task.

What I even more amazing is that this book was first written in 1967 and is better than most of the recent writings on this problem including: Ken Wilbers Sense and Soul and Robert Ornstein's 'The AxeMakers Gift".

Overall it is a very informative and a easy read that one can keep comming back to and learning something new.

If you like E.F. Schumacher, Huston Smith, Gregory Bateson, Jacob Needleman, you will enjoy this book. I would also include anyone who is concerned about what is happening in the world via the loss of faith, runaway technology and destruction of the planet we live upon.

BTW the references section is a excellent starting point for further research.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Higher to the Lower - Modern Man's Problems, November 29, 2006

By 

K.H. - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man (Paperback)

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, noted Islamic scholar and philosopher, has produced an outstanding text on modern man's spiritual crises. Now, I may disagree on some points here and there, and as a Christian, I think Islam has some theological problems; but, with that said and out of the way, Nasr's book gets past any polemics with Christians and Jews, and while differences persists, shows that in a modern scientific and postmodern world, that secular society is more concerned with taking the higher forms of life and insists on devaluing humakind to the lower forms of life 9nature). Man becomes nothing but an animal, with no direction. He (she) has lost what they were truly meant to be. Nasr forcefully argues his position, drawing on mostly Sufi Islamic teachings(but other traditions as well) to not only show that this modern world has the priority backwards, but there are answers to fix the problem. There are a lot Christains and other devoute people of faith can agree with and find insightful in this book.