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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17160 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-19
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

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What, if anything, is it that makes the human uniquely human? This, in part, is the question that G.K. Chesterton starts with in this classic exploration of human history. Responding to the evolutionary materialism of his contemporary (and antagonist) H.G. Wells, Chesterton in this work affirms human uniqueness and the unique message of the Christian faith. Writing in a time when social Darwinism was rampant, Chesterton instead argued that the idea that society has been steadily progressing from a state of primitivism and barbarity towards civilization is simply and flatly inaccurate. "Barbarism and civilization were not successive stages in the progress of the world," he affirms, with arguments drawn from the histories of both Egypt and Babylon.

As always with Chesterton, there is in this analysis something (as he said of Blake) "very plain and emphatic." He sees in Christianity a rare blending of philosophy and mythology, or reason and story, which satisfies both the mind and the heart. On both levels it rings true. As he puts it, "in answer to the historical query of why it was accepted, and is accepted, I answer for millions of others in my reply; because it fits the lock; because it is like life." Here, as so often in Chesterton, we sense a lived, awakened faith. All that he writes derives from a keen intellect guided by the heart's own knowledge. --Doug Thorpe

Download Description
Men are moved in these things by something far higher and holier than policy; by hatred. When men hung on in the darkest days of the Great War, suffering either in their bodies or in their souls for those they loved, they were long past caring about details of diplomatic objects as motives for their refusal to surrender. Of myself and those I knew best I can answer for the vision that made surrender impossible. It was the vision of the German Emperor's face as he rode into Paris.

About the Author
Novelist, poet, essayist, and journalist G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was perhaps best known for his Father Brown detective stories. He produced more than one hundred volumes in his lifetime, including Orthodoxy, Heretics,and biographies of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Customer Reviews

A classic - in a poor edition
I received mine copy today and will return it. It does not have Chesterton's Prefatory Note and the Introduction has been truncated from 10 pages (soft cover Doubleday) to three paragraphs! I started to read it and two pages in I found a typo. Also, I am not pleased with the quality of the print.

The Everlasting Man is a classic and should be read by everyone. It is a shame that the quality of this edition is so mediocre.

Brilliant and Witty.
Chesterton drives home his points in captivating, intelligent and often hilarious ways. He is possibly one of the most intellectually honest writers of the last century. His influence has reached far and wide, including forays not only in the Catholic church, but in Protestant circles as well. C.S. Lewis read this book shortly before his conversion to Christianity. You'll not want to read this book with intellect alone (though it is intellectually very stimulating). The Everlasting Man is meaty enough to nourish your spirit and deepen your understanding.

Truth in genius or complete insanity
In a style and tone which could, at times, be misidentified as flippant, Chesterton casts illumination on historical reality from a perspective which might be considered fresh and new if this work had not been written more than eighty years ago. Regardless of its age, and perhaps due to is age, The Everlasting Man offers up topic for consideration that will almost certainly be new, or at least fresh, to a vast number of modern readers simply because of what it and its author were even in their own time. That is, the certainty and conviction with which Chesterton writes would appear to place him in one of two categories: insane or right. It can be imagined that now, as when this work was written, many would place him in the former category. However, it is precisely because the view he defended appeared to move in direct opposition to the tide of the time that he wrote this work, among others. This is also why this work is still relevant today.

Sparing few feelings associated with the spirit of the age, Chesterton clearly, concisely, and, what seems to be, effortlessly presents history through a lens of emphasis as it would appear if God created, entered, educated, and saved the world. Chesterton maintained the truth of Christianity and approached an application of this to all of human history accordingly. In doing so he often attempts to assume a perspective of innocent ignorance, in an effort to demonstrate particular beliefs, and was later criticized for his apparent indifferent ignorance. The fact, however, remains that after reading and, perhaps, rereading this work, it is difficult to perceive Chesterton as anything other than a genius that is not only well aware of the implications of his every word, but also knows and believes that which he passionately writes about. It is no great wonder why C.S. Lewis attributed this work to his acceptance of theism.

"Really, a young atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side." - C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life