The Sleepwalkers
Encyclopedia
The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe is a 1959 book by Arthur Koestler
, and one of the main accounts of the history of cosmology
and astronomy
in the Western World
, beginning in ancient Mesopotamia
and ending with Isaac Newton
. The book challenges the habitual idea of a progressive science working towards a definite goal. The suggestion of the title is that the scientific discoveries and the genius
es that come to them are like a game of sleepwalking. Not that they come by pure chance, but that often the genius doesn't really know what he has discovered, as it is evident for instance in the three Laws of Kepler.
's world is another, more colourful oyster, a floating disc surrounded by Okeanus."
A central theme of The Sleepwalkers is the changing relationship between faith
and reason
. Koestler explores how these seemingly contradictory threads existed harmoniously in many of the greatest intellectuals of the West. He illustrates that while the two are estranged today, in the past the most ground-breaking thinkers were often very spiritual.
Another recurrent theme of this book is the breaking of paradigms in order to create new ones. People - scientists included - hold onto cherished old beliefs with such love and attachment that they refuse to see the wrong in their ideas and the truth in the ideas that are to replace them.
"The conclusion he puts forward at the end of the book is that
modern science is trying too hard to be rational. Scientists have
been at their best when they allowed themselves to behave as
"sleepwalkers," instead of trying too earnestly to ratiocinate."
First published in the United States of America By MacMillan 1959
Published in Penguin Books 1964
Reissued in Pelican Books 1968
Reprinted in Peregrine Books 1986,ISBN 0-14-055212-X;
Reprinted in Arkana 1989, ISBN 0-14-019246-8;
Questia.com Online readable version (limited preview) http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59255222
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
, and one of the main accounts of the history of cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
in the Western World
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, beginning in ancient Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
and ending with Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
. The book challenges the habitual idea of a progressive science working towards a definite goal. The suggestion of the title is that the scientific discoveries and the genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
es that come to them are like a game of sleepwalking. Not that they come by pure chance, but that often the genius doesn't really know what he has discovered, as it is evident for instance in the three Laws of Kepler.
Synopsis
Koestler starts off the book by looking back into his childhood about his philosophy of the world. He states that when he looks at the world, he looks at it as how the Babylonians did. He goes on to talk about where the Babylonians and Egyptians left off and the Greeks took over philosophy. "HomerHomer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's world is another, more colourful oyster, a floating disc surrounded by Okeanus."
A central theme of The Sleepwalkers is the changing relationship between faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
and reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
. Koestler explores how these seemingly contradictory threads existed harmoniously in many of the greatest intellectuals of the West. He illustrates that while the two are estranged today, in the past the most ground-breaking thinkers were often very spiritual.
Another recurrent theme of this book is the breaking of paradigms in order to create new ones. People - scientists included - hold onto cherished old beliefs with such love and attachment that they refuse to see the wrong in their ideas and the truth in the ideas that are to replace them.
"The conclusion he puts forward at the end of the book is that
modern science is trying too hard to be rational. Scientists have
been at their best when they allowed themselves to behave as
"sleepwalkers," instead of trying too earnestly to ratiocinate."
Publication data
Arthur Koestler, The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe (1959), Hutchinson.First published in the United States of America By MacMillan 1959
Published in Penguin Books 1964
Reissued in Pelican Books 1968
Reprinted in Peregrine Books 1986,ISBN 0-14-055212-X;
Reprinted in Arkana 1989, ISBN 0-14-019246-8;
Questia.com Online readable version (limited preview) http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59255222