"These irreconcilable tensions derive from the same source, from the failure of Western rationalism to erect a solid house on a solid foundation, as it promised it would. That is, Western philosophy promised an elegant structure with the top floor comprised of the gracious rooms for human living, the space where man lives happily with man because he understands the cosmic necessity of the moral truths; he knows surely what he and his fellow man should do to be fulfilled and happy in the most sublime sense of happiness. The discovery by rational science that man is an historical and biological accident convinced the philosopher that moral truths must be 'relative' to unsupported human choice and therefore that our moral certainty would have to be derived from the non-scientific realm of faith, the realm of religion and art, the realm of the non-rational.
Today, the good news is that this problem is really almost academic, as they say. From the late nineteenth century through most of the twentieth, the failure of Western rationalism created a great outpouring of thought and expression, from thinkers, artists, scientists, and ordinary 'intellectuals.' Even the great world wars were often understood in light of this issue. Today, all is quiet on the Western front. The vacuum left by the failure of Western rationalism in regard to human morality seems to have been filled quite nicely by the Judeo-Christian (and Islamic) religions, and perhaps they always carried most of the burden for most of us, anyway. Only in the hallowed halls of our academies (if there) do earnest students and professors argue over the foundations of human thought and action.
Now that things are quiet and old controversies are largely ignored, if not exactly laid to rest, it might be enjoyable to start thinking again. For when the entertainment is over and one is alone, the mind turns to reflection..."
In this collection of essays, Allyn McAuley explores many of the largest themes in Western philosophy from a fresh perspective. He believes that both primary branches of contemporary philosophy have lost the original animating spirit of Western thought, and attributes this to their implicit acceptance of modern moral relativism. Advocating a return to the naive questioning characteristic of our native intelligence, the author examines popular views on such diverse issues as abortion ethics, the Internet and human freedom, extraterrestrial intelligence, business theory, and international human rights. He moves from these topical reflections to offer thoughts on extraordinary questions that he believes are beyond the mastery of any philosopher, yet demand the attention of all thinking men and women- questions on the nature of truth, beauty, love, happiness, and the immortality of the human soul. McAuley concludes with the contention that philosophy by itself is insufficient and that the scientific impulse must be supplemented by the artistic sensibility in order to yield true understanding-and therefore happiness, the goal of human life."