Restoration of Reason: The Eclipse and Recovery of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty

by Montague Brown

Renaissance and Enlightenment philosophers arbitrarily restricted reason, with disastrous consequences for human understanding. This book explains why the restoration of reason to its full breadth and power is in order. Montague Brown discusses how and why modern thought focused its efforts too narrowly on one portion of the spectrum of realities with which human reason ought to concern itself (truth) and so became incapable of handling moral (goodness) and aesthetic (beauty) topics adequately. The new focus produced unprecedented achievements in science and technology, but in other areas it produced significant losses. Brown explains how pre-Enlightenment thought avoided such narrowing and how post-Enlightenment philosophers have tried to redress it. Finally, he presents his own classically grounded proposal. Philosophy and theology students and thoughtful lay readers will appreciate this book.

Genres: Philosophy

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ray Wilkins]

This book was my introduction to Montague Brown whose analytical and philosophical skills are far superior to my own. That said, I was intrigued by the title given the current climate of the "new atheism" and its assertion that atheism is the obvious conclusion of the "reasoned" mind. I was also drawn to the book due to my recent interest in epistemology. On both these accounts Brown does not disappoint. He establishes early in the book that the present form of reason in use today is that which has developed primarily in the modern period and has disassociated itself from the view of reason used by the classical philosophers. More to the point, reason today is used in a much more narrow way, mathematics and scientific truths, than in its classical sense which included metaphysics and beauty. By separating metaphysics (where ethics would be categorized) and beauty as possible realms of inquiry and knowing, one narrows reason and makes it almost useless for practical living.

Brown's understanding of the history of philosophy with respect to reason is apparent throughout the work as he moves back and forth from the Classical Philosophers, Scholastic, and the Post-Enlightenment thinkers. The book is a bit repetitive at times, but this is perhaps due to the weightiness of the material. I would recommend reading this work in a few settings. Each chapter builds on the previous and if too many days go by in between readings one may find themselves lost at times.