The Everlasting Man Hardcover – February 9, 2008

Is the course of history one that was an accident that, nonetheless, had to occur due to man developing the way he has? Has mankind moved from barbarism to civilization? In other words, are things getting better? And has history turned out how it has so far by accident, or by the hand of a Being Who guided it's course?These are the questions that G. K. Chesterton attempted to answer in his extremely popular and influential book, <i>The Everlasting Man</i>. The results are mixed. This is not due to his not trying or being successful in his task, so much as the type of argumentation he makes, combined with science and history, to use a popular term, “marching on”.What I mean by this is that Chesterton's method of persuasion depends a lot more on philosophical questioning, than on logic. Those who are familiar with the name of Chesterton due to his being cited by C. S. Lewis, or others, as influences on them, may be disappointed if they are expecting to see exercises in logic. Not to say that Chesterton does not use any logic or reason, but that they are mainly in support of philosophical arguments, than themselves the core of the argument. In other words, unlike Lewis, for example, he does not break down the elements of a concept to it's basic components, and analyze them. Instead, he takes a position and defends it as is.Part of this, I think, was due to his heavy emphasis on Catholic theology and tradition. He wasn't one for breaking down arguments or ideas to their root concepts and moving from there. Instead, he seemed to accept Catholic ideas and traditions, and arguing why they are true.This does work to an extent, in that sometimes one doesn't want some overly cerebral argumentation, but may prefer a defense of an actual creed or ideals. The only thing that was unfortunate with the book, having nothing to do with individual taste, is the part of science and history that I alluded to earlier “marching on”.What I mean by that part is Chesterton's arguments based on evolutionary science and the history of medieval times or before. Look, regardless of whether one believes in evolution, creation, or theistic evolution (most scientists believe this last one, no matter what some talking heads tell you), you will decidedly <i>NOT</i> find any answers or arguments to use in this debate from <i>Man</i>. Science has really made strides since then to the extent that all but the most general concepts Chesterton discusses are not current.On the history front, Chesterton accepts a lot of false information about the negative traits of the “dark ages”. In C. S. Lewis' time, this popular notion of the ignorant dark ages was already well-known to be bunk, and today, it is all but dismissed by serious historians as ridiculous. But at the time of the book, the arguments against it were just starting to be made.The importance of the cautions in these two areas comes in because the author does use the bad information of the time in his philosophical musings. Taking them out doesn't make his arguments fall apart, but it is useful to note them, and be extra-cautious when considering those parts of his thesis.Overall, this was a brilliant defense of the traditional Christian and Catholic creed, and useful for those who wish to better understand said creeds.Highly Recommended.

I think I read that this was the book that C.S. Lewis credits in helping him become Christian. So of course I wanted to read it. The book itself is pretty good quality. I didn't get to into it because I bought them as presents for my nephews.I'd warn anyone thinking of buying this book that if you haven't read much history, theology or philosophy this book is a very difficult read. I ended up listening to it on audible and most of it went over my head.I preferred Orthodoxy by Chesterton. It made some of the same great points but I could understand most of that book. Or I'd recommend starting with C.S. Lewis. I think his writing is geared more towards helping us simple minded folk understand our faith from an intellectual standpoint.Also you should know that Chesterton uses the n word in this book at least one time. I don't think it was necessarily because he held racist views. But I can't really judge what's in another person's heart.

A book every thinking Christian should read.

A note: If you order this EMP Books version, be prepared for many typos and missing punctuation. It's everywhere...It took me a long time to wade through this book. There are a few reasons for this. First, my wife and I moved twice, I started a new job, and we've been prepping for a baby! In addition, though, this book was particularly difficult. Chesterton has his own style to begin with, but so much of it references not only his contemporaries and their ideas, but also H.G. Well's "The Outline of History" specifically. If you are to take on this book, I recommend finding an annotated version. I think that would have been much more helpful for me.I've often found reading Chesterton to be like driving through the mountains on a foggy day. You can go miles slowly and blind to what's going on around you, but once you reach a clearing the view is made that much more beautiful. Here are a few of my favorite clearings:"When the world goes wrong, it proves rather that the Church is right. The Church is justified, not because her children do not sin, but because they do.""An inventor can advance step by step in the construction of an aeroplane, even if he is only experimenting with sticks and scraps of metal in his own backyard. But he cannot watch the Missing Link evolving in his own backyard. If he has made a mistake in his calculations, the aeroplane will correct it by crashing to the ground. But if he has made a mistake about the arboreal habitat of his ancestor, he cannot see his arboreal ancestor falling off the tree.""It is hardly an adequate explanation of how a thing appeared for the first time to say it existed already.""Whatever else men have believed, they have all believed that there is something the matter with mankind. This sense of sin has made it impossible to be natural and have no clothes, just as it has made it impossible to be natural and have no laws.""If man cannot pray he is gagged; if he cannot kneel he is in irons."And, of course, the famous:"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."

Livre de référence que tout un chacun devrait avoir dans sa bibliothèque et le faire relier si possible. Du grand Chesterton

Wonderful a classic Chesterton.It makes appetite for more books by Chesterton.Recomendation for all with an open mind.For every believer a must read...

One of those old-fashioned books which takes forever to say something which could be said in a paragraph, and then endlessly repeats it. Some interesting writing and maybe there's more than one idea in their but, acknowledging my impatience, life is too short to spend so much of it on this.

Fascinating witty full of paradoxes faith inspired charming

Good read