-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Marxism] NEW TITLE: In defence of the Enlightenment an
atheistchallenges Hitchens and Dawkins...
Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:33:16 +0000 (GMT)
From: Rowan Wilson <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Activists and scholars in Marxist
tradition<[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
NEW TITLE FROM VERSO
THE THREAT TO REASON How the Enlightenment was hijacked and how we can
reclaim it
Dan Hind
PUBLISHED 2nd JULY Hardback $26.95 / £14.99 / $33.50CAN ISBN: 978 1
84467 152 6
· In the wake of September 11th 2001, the incidence of the phrase
‘Enlightenment values’ in the British press has quadrupled, often
appearing in articles discussing the challenge posed to Western
societies by religious fundamentalism. An exciting new voice, Dan Hind
reveals the use and abuse of the Enlightenment by hawks, militant
atheists, scientific evangelists and philosophical conservatives.
· Dan Hind argues that the real threats to reason aren’t wacky or
foreign or stupid; they reside in our state and corporate bureaucracies
- and, one way or another, they probably pay your salary.
· He shows how commentators from Christopher Hitchens to Martin
Amis have used a false version of the Enlightenment to oppose a modern
civilised ‘us’ to a reactionary barbaric ‘them’, so justifying the War
on Terror.
· He demolishes the claim of fundamentalist atheists, such as
Richard Dawkins, that faith is incompatible with reason.
· Science is hailed as the great achievement of the Enlightenment
and science evangelists attack the spread of “pseudo” science such as
alternative medicine. Hind argues that mainstream medicine cannot be
separated from the market and can indeed be far more duplicitous than
alternative medicine - with murderous results.
· He makes a passionate plea to return to Kant’s vision of an
Enlightened public realm – for public debate beyond the constraints of
the market and state interests.
Dan will be 'blogger in residence' on influential literary website
readysteadybook all this week (www.readysteadybook.com). He has an
editorial in today’s Guardian ‘comment is free’ site:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dan_hind/2007/07/war_and_enlightenment.html.
See Dan’s own blog here: http://thethreattoreason.blogspot.com/
'The Threat to Reason' is available in all good bookshops or on our
site:
http://www.versobooks.com/books/ghij/h-titles/hind_d_threat_reason.shtml
At Amazon.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Threat-Reason-Enlightenment-hijacked-reclaim/dp/1844671526/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1_rsrsrs1/203-3307550-1279116
At Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Threat-Reason-Daniel-Hind/dp/1844671526/ref=sr_1_1/002-2890225-4496868?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183386211&sr=8-1
For more information contact:
--------------------------------------------
Rowan Wilson Sales and Marketing Manager Verso
6 Meard Street London W1F 0EG Phone: 020 7437 3546 Fax: 020 7734 0059
email: [log in to unmask] www.versobooks.com
