A little bit of everything

"Science and the myth of progress" is an anthology criticizing modern science in general and the theory of evolution in particular from a mostly Traditionalist or Perennialist viewpoint. Excerpts from the works of Fritjof Schuon, René Guenon and S. Hossein Nasr are prominently featured. A few authors who aren't Traditionalists have also been included. Thus, there is a lengthy contribution by William Dembski from the Discovery Institute.

Needless to say, the answers offered by the authors of this volume are very "ancient" or "medieval", something they would probably wholeheartedly admit themselves. Thomism, Neo-Platonist emanationism, occult correspondences between the macrocosm and the microcosm, Intelligent Design and ideas similar to Theosophy are proposed as the alternative to modern science and scientism. The authors seem to accept the standard creationist arguments about irreducible complexity, lack of transitional forms etc.

My main objection to this volume is that it feels very heterogenous. Only a few articles deal with what seems to be the main point of the anthology: that materialism in science has made the modern world go astray, that "progress" is really an illusion, and that a return to some kind of spirituality is therefore called for. The various authors also have somewhat divergent perspectives. Some argue that the modern worldview is too subjective and relativistic, others seem to suggest the opposite: precisely because all perspectives are subjective, modern science cannot have a monopoly on truth. The most thoughtful contribution comes from Wendell Berry, who simply wants more humility and admission of ignorance, a position at least some scientists would be able to agree with. (The rest are still busy trying to build a humanoid robot, clone a Martian, or whatever.) Finally, there are some contributions whose inclusion I honestly didn't get, such as the criticism of C.G. Jung. Still, it was of some interest. I assumed Traditionalists would be positive towards Jung!

On balance, I nevertheless award "Science and the myth of progress" three stars.