The Riddle of the Universe (Great Minds Series)

Rating:
Summary: optimism of yesterday science
Review: Haeckel is a very influential writer at the turn of last century, but he's been forgotton by most people since then. This, his most popular work, shows the reason for his past influence and his present oblivion.

The thesis of the book is that naturalistic monism is a sufficient explanation of the universe. Any search for reality beyond the material world is superstition. Since Haeckel is a zooligist, the first half of the book tries to demonstrate the similarity between human beings and other animals. Based on the theory of evolution and physiology, he argues that psychic activities are only biochemical actions of the nervous system. Next he expouneds his belief in the "law of substance"; the theory that the total amount of energy and matter in the universe is always content. Next, Haeckel claims that genuine monotheism is rarely taught, even by Christians. After that he tries to discredit Jesus and Paul with historical speculations. (e.g. Jesus is the illegitimate son a Roman officer called Pandera.) Lastly, he expounds his monistic religion and ethics. Beauty of nature is his god, and balancing the good of the individuals and the group is his ethics.

Many of his beliefs in natural sciences have been discredited since his days. His construction of the history of religions and of the history of Christianity is untenable too. His optimism that in the progress of natural and behaviorial science also sounds hollow today. However, his naturalistic understanding of the soul, his monistic religion and ethics are live options today, enthusiastically embraced by many. Each topic in his book has been superceded by better work. While it lacks depth, its breadth makes it still an interesting book on the relationship between religion and science.