The Lost Vision of Nature

Joseph Milne's work is essential reading in the history of ideas, and I would strongly recommend his Metaphysics and the Cosmic Order to readers unfamiliar with his work. Here he looks more specifically at how our ideas of nature changed historically and culturally, tracing the views back to mediaeval nominalism and voluntarism. This removes the necessary connection between the human mind and the reality of things as well as final causes. The loss of a symbolic understanding in theology leads to literalism and fundamentalism, corresponding to scientism within science. Crucially, with Descartes, the quest for truth is replaced by that for certainty; contemplation gives way to doubt. This in turn gives rise to spiritual alienation, the topic of the second lecture where the physical world is understood as self enclosed and the pursuit of the common good is replaced by individualism. Tellingly, Milne writes that 'what the modern age dedicates itself to is a key to its essence' - in our case materialism in every sense. He also shows how objectivity removes ethics and leads to exploitative economics. In order to remedy the situation, we need to rediscover different orders of truth corresponding to different ways of knowing. Very highly recommended.