Angels Fear: Towards an Epistemology of the Sacred by Gregory Bateson

Angels Fear: Towards an Epistemology of the Sacred Reviews

• 
  Marijn Meijles

  This book is very interesting as it approaches religion in a system theory way but crossing boundaries between different sciences in an enlightening manner. Even if you don't agree with some of the directions his thinking takes, the approach is very out-of-the-box and can give you a new way of approaching other areas in life.
  
  The mechanisms of mind he uncovers are simple yet capable of giving profound insights into our world. The book is hard to get through at times but it is definitely worth the effort.
• 
  Lowry

  This was Gregory Bateson's last book, which was still in manuscript at the time he died, in 1980. His daughter, Mary Catherine Bateson, who had been working with him for many years on his ideas (without receiving credit as co-author), completed the book from his manuscript. This book continues the thoughts of Mind and Nature (published in 1979); in fact, it is prefigured in the "metalogue" between Gregory and Mary Catherine that concludes the earlier book. Impossible to give a speedy summary of Bateson's thought here, but suffice it to say that he recognized that his thoughts about mind, and our relationship to the ever-evolving world, required him to address beauty and the sacred. That is the effort made in Angels Fear.
  
  I recommend this book and Mind and Nature as highly as I can. They are filled with powerful ideas which, upon sufficient study and meditation, potentially have the ability to alter your world-view.
• 
  Dylan

  Wonderful book. Circular in the right ways, cleanly stated and very expressive of the ideas they're trying to convey. I have a hard time saying anything less than 'read it for your self' to get an idea of what it's about.
• 
  Ladyfilosopher

  What an amazing book. A post-humous collaboration with her father, who Mary Catherine Bateston had collaborated with on many of his books in his life-time, facilitated the unfolding of the desired them in its vastness and detailed furls as it deals with the specific and the 'fuzzy. It has 'hit the nail on the head' about so many thoughts and considerations I have had over the years. I am reading this book while I formulate concept and material regarding the Ethics of Care. I found many over arching concepts to help me continue. I have the 2005 edition which credits his daughter Mary on the cover. There have been so many memorable statements along the way, which I would have written on Goodread's site but when I was obliged to put the book down due to commitments, time was tight, and bus schedules had to be respected. Anyone interested in complexity, the mysteries of life, relationships, meaning, and experiencing the fruit of this amazing collaboration between male and female, father and daughter, exquisite minds both, please, give each page the time it merits. Though the annotations are well done, I found cause to add a few more voices and page references. My book has become a notebook. Good Luck, have fun
• 
  Barongia

  Molto interessante, libro impegnativo e che fa riflettere, mi piace l’alternarsi di capitoli con dialoghi e altri con spiegazioni, forse questi ultimi a volte sono troppo “pieni” di contenuti, talvolta anche diversi
• 
  hikaru fujita

  本書は平成4年に購入し、私にはいまでも大きな課題を残してくれている。グレゴリー・ベイトソンと娘がおこなう、感受性の強い会話が印象的である。
  生物の獲得形質遺伝の問題で端的にみられることだが、つねに出てくる相互関係は単純な二者関係ではない。この相互関係は獲得形質として確定するのに、受精時に出会う単純な二者択一式の類似性テストをくぐるだけでなく、相互関係が二者関係からより複雑なものになってゆき、収束しようとしても複雑さが一方的に増大するということが言える。
  相互関係はこうして、関連はあるけれどもけっして完全な類似性をもたない「命題のネットワーク」どうしをはめあわせたり、ぶつけたりという込み入ったものとなる。そして、この複雑さの増大から導かれる第二の道筋として階層的組織化という事実が浮かび上がってくる。これが描き出そうとしている全体図の一構成要素である。
  解決の方策としてはじめに手のつけられる手段が、「階層化」というわけだ。分類・整理はだれしもはじめに物事を解決しようとして考えることだ。自然の中ででも同じ階層にいれば気が付かない新たな形質を、量がまとまることにより新たに獲得するということもある。これは新たなクラスに入らないと分からない。量が質に転化するというオーガニックを想像させる。
  現象の複雑さが次第に手におえなくなり始めてくると、それに対処するオーソドックスな手続きとして還元論が威力を発揮する。観察された世界のエレガントな相互連結に与える損傷を最小限に抑えるため、データから一歩退いて、マッピング作業をどう簡略化すればよいかを考えることになる。世界とそれに対するわれわれの関係はこの場合でも生物学的な性質を保存する。
  これは、非常に深遠な洞察だ。還元論は最近評判が悪いけれど、バランスを保った状態でなんとか切り抜けていこうと思えばどうしても切捨てが必要になってくる。エイヤーの決断が必要だというわけだ。選択の重要性、不可避性がここで認められる。
  この書物の中でも、すべてはつながりにあるわけだから、ようするにわれわれはひとつのトートロジーを地図化しようとしているとの指摘がある。私の関心事である地図ということにはこのような地図もある。そしてこれは人類だけでなく等しく生物全般にいえることといえる。
  地図化するとはなんと困難なことか！そしてなんとたやすいことか！
• 
  Scott Holmes

  It's been quite some time since I read this and it is now buried in a storage locker. I'm reluctant to try and write a review without the benefit of having another look at it except to say I recall many "aha" moments and enjoyed Mary Catherine Bateson's constructed metalogues. I thought I'd add this book to my list now as I've just ordered a copy of Steps.
• 
  Angela Juline

  I don't think it's fair for me to rate this book, because the content was so far over my head.
• 
  Gerard

  No us deixeu enganyar pel disseny de la portada...
• 
  Cathy

  Love this book!