Customer Reviews

Seven Men Who Rule the World From the Grave

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In this book the author discusses the dreadful consequences of the ideas of Darwin, Marx, Julius Wellhausen [and special mention Einstein], Sigmund Freud, John Dewey, John Maynard Keynes, and Soren Kierkegaard. He says, very tellingly, of Keynes (but could be applied to all): "Is Keynes really to be blamed ... ? We think not. [He] can only exercise power because he panders to the irascible nature of mankind. Keynsian economics gave to the Roosevelt administration and to successive govts of this and other lands an excuse to live the lives of economic dissipation, which was their intention in the first place." Breese begins the book by observing: "The means by which one person is able to rule many others is a fascinating subject of study. Invariably, the explanation of such control is that it is a matter of the mind. Any ruler, no matter how numerous his weapons or great his wealth, must finally rule by ... persuasion ... [by] produc[ing] in the minds of others ... a kind of little god [an ideology]."

Darwin's (1809-82) chapter is "Biology is Destiny" and we're all familiar with the damage resulting from his legacy, including the idea (i.e. scientISM) that it represents some godlike oracle whose pronouncements can't reasonably be questioned, instead of the more accurate view as a humble and LIMITED servant of curious mankind. A great example is Carl Sagan's famous statement that "the Cosmos is all there is, ever was, or ever will be," posing as a statement of omniscient science but actually a statement of Sagan's personal faith committment to atheistic, materialistic naturalism. Breese also discusses how Darwin's ideas inspired "social darwinism" and "survival of the fittest" (i.e. that social evolution should be consciously patterned after nature in this way).

Marx's (1818-83) chapter is titled "The Ruling Principle for All Humanity" and his ideas are also well-known. He rejected God and believed that economic class is destiny and that all the workers of the world should unite to throw off their oppressors.

Then we come to Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918, "Closing the Book" i.e. the Bible), father of German 'higher criticism' and of religious liberalism, which rejected the literal interpretation of the Bible and substituted nice-sounding platitudes for harsh biblical truths (e.g. original sin) that humans have always found offensive to their egos.

Breese includes a chapter on Einstein (1879-1955, "The Coming of the Strange Fire") and his nuclear science, relativity, which culturally became relativISM, although that was not Einstein's intention or fault (he retained his belief in God).

Next is Sigmund Freud (1856-1939, "Looking Within") whose "libido determinism" reduced humanity to Pavlovian hormone-driven animals and saw religion is 'mental infantilism, mass delusion.' Fortunately, Freud's ideas, like Darwin's and Marx's, are beginning to fade under renewed (Christian) challenge.

John Dewey (1859-1952, "The Vast Emergence") rejected the idea of objective truth and bought into the scientistic idea that (relativistic) 'truth' can only be found by experimentation. He was a promoter of progressivism, especially in the field of education. He didn't reject religion outright, seeing it as socially useful, but pinned his real hope on the 'vast emergence' (always emerging, never arriving) of a new, scientifically based, progressive view of humanity and the world which would eventually solve all problems (i.e. utopian).

John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946, "New Hope for the Nations") emerged during the dark days of the Great Depression with his "solution" to the world's problems: govt-as-god, economic interventionism, endlessly mounting debt, national debt $3.3T in 1990, how will it be paid? inflation). As of now (9 Apr 2007), the US national debt is $8.9T, and can be viewed on a number of websites, including [...]

Finally, Soren Kierkegaard (1813-55, "The Advent of Diffusion") and existentialism are covered. By 'diffusion' Breese means 'watering-down' of Truth, which existentialism does. Kierkegaard's ideas were initially ignored, but then rediscovered 100 yrs after his death as a perfect philosophy for liberals casting about for an alternative to their utterly failed sin-denying pipe-dreams (their so-called "Crisis of the West").

He ends the book on a hopeful note ("Who Shall Overcome?") by noting that, despite the potent (continuing) impact of these anti-Christian philosophies, God and His Truth will eventually triumph.

I found Dr. Dave Breese's book to be well written and very informative. It helps explain the mess that our current society now finds itself. Several others have reviewed this book negatively only because they have a very different Worldview than the biblical one. Dr. Breese does not have a problem with the Seven Men because they do not agree with him, but because of the fruit of their teaching. Jesus Christ taught us that "you will know them by their fruit". The fruit of the teachings from the 7 men is clear. The rejection of absolute right and wrong, or absolute truth is rejected by society. Existentialism lives; evolution is the lie of the day, but it is not because God is not Omnipotent, and we christians do not fear these philosophies as one reviewer stated. Several reviewers appear to have a problem with the Christian Worldview, not really with the book. Dr. Breese gives such great insight into the strongholds of the secular mind that have been controled by the philosophy of the day. Every true christian should read this book and be enlightened to the mindset of our day.

First off, the title is misleading. The author discusses eight dead white men, but the title seems to convey there are only seven dead white men who rule the world from the grave.

Further, and let's get this much out of the way first: there are four men too many described in this book. They are Albert Einstein, Julius Wellhausen, John Dewey, and Soren Kierkegaard. I say four too many because:

(1) the author admits Einstein, in particular, "cannot 'officially' make" one of the seven. (Is this why then the author claims there are just seven men who rule the world from the grave?) What is the scale of impact for these men ruling from their graves in terms of grave and serious consequences to life and society? Answer: They are neither seriously grave nor significantly negative. What the author wishes to point out is how destructive to religious values is the notion of Relativism, and since the author needs to start somewhere, he starts with Einstein's theory of relativity which has nothing to do at all, the author admits, with Relativism. (The author should have discussed the ideas of the Greek philosopher Protagoras if he really wanted to get to the source of Relativism.)

(2) How much has the general public ever seriously discussed Julius Wellhausen's ideas? (Who?) Besides being a liberal theologian (and a completely new figure to me in the history of ideas, I'm glad to admit), the author treats this Bible interpreter much as he treated Einstein: makes his ideas (indirectly) responsible for all sorts of society ills and irreligion when, in fact, it was others who used his ideas essentially to "wreak havoc," if that is even the right phrase, whereby the Bible interpreter's liberalism "explodes" in the 20th century with Liberation Theology.

(3) the critical examination of both John Dewey and Soren Kierkegaard is neither incisive nor persuasive. It is the modern public education system that the author wishes to criticize in these pages, and rightly so, but just because John Dewey was the darling of the media and public education simultaneously during the middle of the 20th century, doesn't mean he's the perfect kingpin for the destruction of values, both religious and secular, that we all witness occurring in our schools today. Perhaps even more responsible for the dumbing down of our educational system are Andrew Carnegie and the Rockefeller Foundation. See the writings available on the underground history of American education. (And, oh, yes, John Dewey and Kierkegaard were both murky writers and often relativisitic in their thinking, but neither are the destroyers of Western Civilization and Western religion as we know it. We know it!) In addition, while some say, like the author himself does, that Soren Kierkegaard is the "father of Existentialism," no modern-day philosopher, Existentialist or otherwise, has had a greater negative impact on society and religion moreso than the non-Existential German philospher Frederich Nietszche. The author's targeting of an eccentric, contradictory Christian Danish man as the whipping boy for the irrationality going on in our society is simply fatuous.

However, that being said, the real meat of the book, the area that provides the most incisive and persuasive criticism as well as the clearest food for thought, making the entire book worth rejoicing over, concerns those pages dealing with Karl Marx, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, Sigmund Freud, and John Maynard Keynes (a weak fourth, but not irrelevant). The arguments the author puts forth deconstructing Darwin's so-called science and logic alone are precious (although it would have made a better chapter on Darwin had the author as well referenced the philosopher Herbert Spencer who was the originator of that nefarious idea "survival of the fittest," not Charles Darwin). The author's summation of the ideas of Karl Marx and their horrific and Satanic impact on our world is wonderfully concise and accurate. His chapter on Sigmund Freud completely demolishes the edifice of fantasy that's been created around this charlatan. And, finally, the chapter on Maynard Keynes, while unpleasantly prolix at times, contains the news that keeps on being news: how are we going to solve our economic problems in the United States.

This book is imminently readable for the generalist, Christian and non-Christian, I think. To the atheists, I instruct them just to read around the theological bits and avoid religious dispute because most of what the author has to say is reasonable and logical, and to the Christian, I merely wish to say good luck with your endeavor because we're all in this together and the author has pointed out the consequences of some very bad ideas the palpable and visceral results of which are being experienced by all of humanity at this point and we need each other to be on board with awareness of just what the unnecessary and nefarious ills are we now share and what can be the remedy. Dave Breese has made me grateful for his contribution to that end.

This is a lot compressed into a book of this size. Breese explains coherently, the effects and meaning behind these most influential men's words and actions of the past. Each chapter deals separately with each man.

There are many who may have never of heard of all of these men, but we are surely feeling their (negative) influence even today. As the author puts it, "Much of modern education, commercial interaction, social planning, intellectual conviction, and even religion is still guided by the constructs formulated by those thinkers of an earlier generation."

A hundred other men could have been added to the list. But he believes these seven men "were the progenitors of the most influential movements of this [20th] century"; "they ruled the world more permanently"; "contended for our minds", and these are those men:

Charles Darwin: what has come to be known as, "social Darwinism"; this man is credited with evolution, materialism, naturalism, and natural selection. And now these are being treated as if it were fact; as "a law, as gravity is a law". The ultimate devastation is occurring in our public education. Breese contends, "Our society has come to assume that the source of all knowledge is science; once a thing is established as being scientific, it moves beyond debate and becomes an article of faith."

Karl Marx: think of him as a "social philosopher" or a "professional revolutionary". He is of course famous for his "Communist Manifesto": "scientific socialism", worlds destiny, anti-capitalist, atheism, utopia----read it----a tightness will wallow up in your throat----because you will understand Marxism is very much with us. It is even seen as liberalism in the church. His contemporaries: Feuerbac, Rousseau, and Engles; and his protégé: Lenin.

Julius Wellhausen: he brought liberalism to the church. He taught human reason is totally dependable, the bible as myth, and rationalism. The stage was then set for Machen.

Sigmund Freud: that life or death is just instinct through human conditions, "after all, psychoanalysis was the new revelation, and psychotherapy the new salvation."

John Dewey: a humanist; this man radically redefined education through social change. Hegel, among others would influence his world view.

John Keynes: believed government to be the answer through investment: Keynesian economics. The "New Deal" was constructed through his influence.

Soren Kierkegaard: known as the father of Existentialism. It is only through his writings we know him. He is confusing and contradictory. In his mind there is no right, no wrong, and no truth.

Albert Einstein is not one of the seven, but he becomes important to the discussion. In this chapter Breese discusses the unintended influence of relativity turning into relativism. Ponder these words: "Surely the world ought daily to thank God that the word 'American' was attached to the name of Albert Einstein. Had that word remained 'German', how different the world would be today!"

We have allowed the minority to run the majority. But there need only be a few strong to overcome the rushing tide of deception. A little socialism and evolution cant hurt, right?

"The world of delusion is neither a good nor safe place to live."

Wish you well
Scott

This book poses some good arguments, but is tedious as a whole. Breese can only treat these individuals in a cursory fashion, where most of them have volumes written about individual facets of their lives and philosophies. To attempt a discussion about Darwin, Freud, Marx, Kierkegaard, Wellhausen, Dewey and Keynes (not to mention Einstein, whose ideas, Breese argues, gave birth to relativism) in a volume of this length is to create a good introduction, which I think this book accomplishes, but no more. Breese's style is at times witty and sharp, but the historical redundancy of his chapters and the brevity of the discussion on each individual leave something to be desired.

Though written in 1990, this fascinating book weaving together historical, philosophical, and theological themes is still remarkably relevant. Breese investigates the founders of seven influential philosophical systems, and how much of what they taught has become ingrained in the collective psyche of Western thought. He then compares and contrasts the philosophies of these "seminal thinkers" with Biblical teaching, illustrating how our presuppositions about the truth claims of the Bible (as opposed to other truth claims) impact our world view at every level. Here are the "7 men" (the following are the author's words):

* Charles Darwin, who systemized and advanced the principle that evolution was behind the origin of the species
* Karl Marx, who developed and advocated the notion of modern Communism
* Julius Wellhausen, who initiated "higher criticism" and "modernism"
* John Dewey, who argued for an educational system focused on problem solving
* Sigmund Freud, who promoted the view that the sexual instinct is the driving force behind all human action
* John Maynard Keynes, who advocated the policies for reducing unemployment and expanding the economy that today find their expression in deficit spending and governmental activism
* Søren Kierkegaard, who stressed the obligation each person has to make conscious, responsible choices among alternatives, a major tenet of existentialism

An eighth chapter also investigated the misapplication of Einstein's theory of relativity to become a scientific "proof" of relative morality, which Einstein himself vehemently opposed (thus the reason he is not included as the 8th man in this list). This book is not exhaustive in its coverage of any of these philosophies, but is a good overview to give the Christian perspective on why people believe what they believe today. Nearly twenty years after publication, many of Breese's predictions about what people in my generation would believe if the then budding postmodernism were followed to its logical conclusion appear prophetic. Highly recommended!

Dave Breese, a longtime Chrisitan
critic of Big Brother pretty much
nails this one shut (at least on
six of these charlatans, but the
jury is still out on Einstein who
was no Athiest! He even said he was
looking "for God in the Universe'.
IHR Director Mark Weber in his 'State
of the IHR address on tape and cd back
in '02 was also wrong. Breese deserves
credit for breaking new ground, not
opening Pandora (or is it Aunt Dora's)
box. A fine book.

Introductory philosophy/worldview book. If you haven't heard of these men or don't know why their influence was bad (Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Julius Wellhausen, John Dewey, Sigmund Freud, John Maynard Keynes, and Soren Kierkegaard), this is a good book to read.

Every Christian parent should read this book before making the decision on placing their child in a government run school. This book clearly makes the case that the men it profiles continue to have too much influence in how we think and what we teach our children. All individuals profiled are atheists. You will discover why our economy is in such a mess after reading the profile of economist John M. Keynes, the father of the move to replace God with government. The truth must also be told about how incomplete research conducted by Charles Darwin has been used to form what is now taught as fact, and become a "religion" unto its own, in the "Origin of Species." For those looking for the person responsible for the beginning of liberal church doctrine and the belief the Bible is not reliable, you will learn much from the profile of Julius Wellhausen. Sobering but a "must read!"

It has once been said, in order to subjugate a nation, dominate them with your culture. The Greeks were supreme. However the Greeks had nothing on these seven men who most definitely ruled from the grave. Egyptian, Greek, and Roman culture has not had this type of effect on the minds of men, women, and childen at any one time during any of their dynastic periods. This is a must read for Christians and Christian parents!