The Seekers: The Story of Man's Continuing Quest to Understand His World Knowledge Trilogy (3)A New York Times Notable Book of the Year From the author of The Discoverers and The Creators, an incomparable history of man's essential questions: "Who are we?" and "Why are we here?" Daniel J. Boorstin, the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Americans, introduces us to some of the great pioneering seekers whose faith and thought have for centuries led man's search for meaning. Moses sought truth in God above while Sophocles looked to reason. Thomas More and Machiavelli pursued truth through social change. And in the modern age, Marx and Einstein found meaning in the sciences. In this epic intellectual adventure story, Boorstin follows the great seekers from the heroic age of prophets and philosophers to the present age of skepticism as they grapple with the great questions that have always challenged man. |
Contents
AN ANCIENT HERITAGE | 1 |
A HIGHER AUTHORITY | 3 |
Moses Test of Obedience | 5 |
Isaiahs Test of Faith | 9 |
Job | 13 |
Evil in the East | 17 |
A WONDROUS INSTRUMENT WITHIN | 23 |
Socrates Discovery of Ignorance | 25 |
Hegels Turn to The Divine Idea on Earth | 207 |
PATHS TO THE FUTURE | 213 |
WAYS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE | 215 |
Condorcet to Comte | 217 |
Karl Marxs Pursuit of Destiny | 226 |
Spengler and Toynbee | 231 |
A World in Revolution? | 239 |
Carlyle and Emerson | 245 |
The Life in the Spoken Word | 39 |
Platos OtherWorld of Ideas | 44 |
Virtues Writ Large | 52 |
An Outsider in Athens | 57 |
On Paths of Common Sense | 61 |
Aristotles God for a Changeful World | 69 |
EXPERIMENTS IN COMMUNITY | 73 |
THE LIBERAL | 175 |
Voltaires Summons to Civilization | 189 |
Rousseau Seeks Escape | 198 |
Jeffersons American Quest | 203 |
Kierkegaard Turns from History to Existence | 252 |
From Truth to Streams of Consciousness with William James | 258 |
The Solace and Wonder of Diversity | 262 |
The Literature of Bewilderment | 270 |
THE MEANING IN THE SEEKING | 275 |
Actons Madonna of the Future | 277 |
Malrauxs Charms of AntiDestiny | 283 |
Some Reference Notes | 309 |
Acknowledgments | 327 |
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Common terms and phrases
Acton Aeneid ancient Greek Aristotle Aristotle's arts Athenian Athens Bacon became believe Benedictine Bergson Bertrand Russell Boorstin called Calvin Carlyle Catholic century B.C. Christian Church civilization classic Collège de Montaigu Constantine culture Descartes dialogues divine doctrine dogma Einstein empire ence epic Erasmus essays Estragon Euhemerus Europe evil experience explained faith father French gave gods Greece Hegel Herodotus historian Homer human ideas Iliad Ionian knowledge learned liberal literature lived Locke Lord Acton Luther Malraux man's Marx meaning mind modern monastery monasticism monks myths nations nature never Niccolò Machiavelli observed offered Paris past path philosophy physical Plato political prophets quest reason religion religious Revolution Roman Rome Saint Seekers seeking social society Socrates Spengler spirit survived theology theory things Thomas thought Thucydides tion tradition trans translation truth ture universal Virgil vols Voltaire Western word writing wrote