Posthistoric Man: An Inquiry

264 Pages·1950·14.042 MB·English

by  Roderick Seidenberg ·

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The Library
SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
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u‘ or a generation absorbed by the ques- proach a stati.c condit. i. on of fix. ity—an
yn of human destiny and’the meaning ultimate state of automatism. The at-
history, Post-historic Man will be the ttibutes and values that we regard as hu-
ost daring and provocative forecast of man— freedom, personality, conscience,
an’s future that has yet appeare Ph and even consciousness itself—are inter-
preted as transitional products of the fric-
rawing its analogies from the laws of
tion between the great contending forces
odern science, and closely analyzing. er eo
‘ Beccrating trend toward peeees Post-historic Man 1s the product of a
ganization of every aspect of life, it profound intelligence and a ruthless
ojects a future state of human society logic that is willing to carry the implica-
which the word human, as we define tions of modern ideas to their ultimate
today, can hardly be applied. conclusions. Particularly brilliant is its
Seen in the perspective of this book, wholly new and original conception of
e whole of man’s historic existence ap- the ultimate rdle of the machine in the
ars as a transitional period. Preceding course of human evolution. It presents
at period lies the vast stretch of prehis-a challenge to every thinking man,
ry during which instinctive human life whether he is scientist or humanist, be-
as governed by the slow processes of liever or skeptic. Yet it is a thoroughly
Ologic evolution. In the future—near undogmatic book. The bones of the argu-
distant—man is destined to arrive at a ment show through at every point, and
st-historic stage, in which the imper- the author never fails to note the alterna-
mal organizing drive of intelligence tives that offer themselves at each step.
ill have become dominant over the resi- Clearly and concisely written, and rich in
1¢ of instinctual forces. In this inher- its allusiveness to contemporary writing,
tly unavoidable drift man will ap- from Spengler to Toynbee, it is a book
” that, as Lewis Mumford says, “fulfills
the canons of humanism which the argu-
‘ment itself professes to overthrow.”
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POSTHISTORIC MAN

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Posthistoric
MAN
An Inquiry
RODERICK SEIDENBERG
Chapel Hill
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
Copyright, 1950, by
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
Manufactured in the United States of America
Van Rees Press, New York
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SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
AT CLAREMONT
California
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