Customer Reviews

Worlds Apart

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

 

 

Long ago Owen Barfield perceived a disconnect between science and meaning - as early as the 1920's - and argued that the gulf between them was only getting wider and deeper by the 1960's. In Worlds Apart, he attempted to make explicit the presuppositions of the science of the day, discuss whether or not those presuppositions made sense, and what the implications were in either case.

Worlds Apart is a dialogue between two physicists, a biologist, a psychiatrist, a theologian, a teacher, a philosopher, and a lawyer. The conversation takes place over three days, and is set in the 1960's. The pace of the dialogue is brisk, the subject matter is fascinating, and many of the threads of thought and their conclusions are still, in 2003, refreshing and profound.

One such presupposition that gets quite a working over is this: the world is ultimately real only on the level of particles, or atoms. Anything not explainable in terms of particles is a subjective "experience" or appearance. Trees "appear" as trees because of the activity of our human minds. Other humans "appear" as humans because of the activity of our minds.

But if only particles *really* exist, and if all the appearances only arise in human minds, then why do we talk about the history of the earth, before humans were around, in terms of appearances - like trees and dinosaurs (which are only appearances)? Or, why do we talk about remote solar systems or galaxies in terms of appearances - warmth or coldness, brightness or darkness, etc.?

Even with Barfield's unmistakable English writing style, and *because* of his philosophical bent, Worlds Apart is a refreshing and disturbing read, one that is likely to take you out into very deep water, far, far from any shore you recognize.

I subscribe to everything the previous reviewer wrote, and wish to add that besides the often far-reaching philosphical insights proposed in these debates, this book is also a perfect showcase for Owen Barfield's tremendously sharp and comprehensible mind. It will be appreciated by anyone who enjoys reasoning in the best Platonic tradition. As such, I think it is the best, most accessible introduction to Barfield's philosophy. It may, finally, also well be read simply as a novel, with well worked-out characters, for Barfield's purposes, and an ending that is one to remember.

This was my introduction to Barfield, and while I enjoyed the book immensely, bringing up countless questions I will enjoy pursuing further, if you are looking for the satisfaction found in a Platonic dialogue, where all confusion is cleared away by tight dialogue and terse definitions, this may not be the one for you. Because the characters' "time is limited" and the conversations cover so many subjects, the reading tends to be rather discursive, leaving loose ends untied. Clearly this was the author's intention, but it wasn't what I expected. It often requires the reader to either carry the logic on out past the conversation to draw a conclusion, or refrain from doing so altogether. Of course his attempt to discuss these subjects objectively completely makes up for it!

5 stars for blowing my mind and getting me excited to give a go at Saving the Appearances. "Very deep water" indeed..