Doubt,
a History
The
Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and
Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson
By
Jennifer Michael Hecht
In
a very ambitious undertaking, Jennifer Michael Hecht has chosen
to view humanity and it's advancements through the innovations of
doubters. She begins with Ancient Greece and moves through time
all the way to the present era. For such a monumental project, prospective
readers might feel inclined to shy away from the text, thinking
that it must be excessively dull and academic. However, Hecht manages
to present her subject in a tone that is authoritative while, at
the same time, being almost conversational. The way Hecht writes,
she seems like a tour guide leading readers through history and
introducing them to the crucial players of those times.
The book begins with an introduction
that includes a "Scale of doubt quiz." Readers answer
thirteen yes or no questions and then go into the text knowing that
they are atheists, agnostics, or believers. The quiz serves as a
wonderful mechanism to get readers involved in the text before they
actually get into reading it.
Ample endnotes and an index will help
readers navigate the book as well as find further information on
the theories and people Hecht illuminates in the chapters.
If you'd like to take a journey through
human history and meet the great thinkers/doubters of the world,
both religious and secular, you will not be disappointed in this
text. Perhaps by the end, you'll be compelled to begin your journey
as one of the next great doubters.
|
The
Book |
HarperSanFrancisco / HarperCollins |
2003 |
Paperback
|
0-06-009795-7
|
Non-fiction
/ History |
More
at Amazon.com |
Excerpt
|
NOTE:
|
The
Reviewer |
Sarah Lomas |
Reviewed
2005 |
NOTE:
|
|