Introduction--A Review of the Book "A Christian View of Men and Things" by Gordon H. Clark C1S3

"Christianity is a comprehensive view of all
things: It takes the world, both material
and spiritual, to be an ordered system."
Gordon H. Clark

The Unity of Truth

One might be encountering despair at this point, because of the amount of answers needed to make sense out of life. However, from asking these questions there has been a gain, for one suspects that all these questions are interrelated. This view of philosophy that all questions are interrelated accords with a Christian worldview. For, "Christianity is a comprehensive view of all things: It takes the world, both material and spiritual, to be an ordered system." The reason for this is that if there is an Omniscient God who created everything in orderly fashion as the Christian believes, all problems would fit together like a puzzle.

However, this does not mean that we cannot learn anything from the particulars or that the particulars do not affect the whole. For if a man was to have a piece of the puzzle but not the whole thing he could still understand that one piece to a certain extent and therefore the whole to a certain extent. In addition if the particular is not necessary for the whole, there would be no way to start solving the puzzle. Therefore, to understand the particulars, you need the whole and to understand the whole, the particulars are needed. Everything is interrelated.

"Each system proposes to interpret all
the facts; each system subscribes to the principle
that this is one world." (Gordon H. Clark.)

The One and Only
Anthony J McAtee

Introduction--A Review of the Book "A Christian View of Men and Things" by Gordon H. Clark C1S2

"Whether we try our skill or not, every one
of us has a great puzzle on our hands.
It is the world of men and things."
Gordon H. Clark

The Questions of Philosophy

Philosophy is like a puzzle and a truly difficult puzzle can be dispiriting but yet at the same time it can accentuate the interest. For one wonders if a philosophical problem can defeat him. Unfortunately, in these days, many people chose to ignore difficult problems they encounter instead of solving them. However, "Whether we try our skill or not, every one of us has a great puzzle on our hands. It is the world of men and things." (Gordon H. Clark.) In other words all men have the choice to attempt to solve the questions of philosophy.

However, part of the reason people choose to ignore (as much as possible) the questions of philosophy is because they fail to fully understand how they affect the world in which they live. People fail to see the affect it has on their world is because they do not fully understand the answer and this stems from the problem of not knowing the questions. The questions of philosophy are numerous but when some that are easier to apply to the world are clearly stated, it is easier to see how they affect a particular person (and from there understand how the more abstract questions affect a person's thinking); "Should the party favoring the strictest regulation be elected? Which Party would give the best government? Which is the best kind of government? Which can actually work under the present conditions? Or can none work? Where is history taking us? Does history repeat itself? Is civilization on the verge of collapse? What causes, if any, control history? Is history a haphazard and unintelligible sequence of events, or does history have meaning? Has God revealed any answer or any partial answer to these questions? Is it necessary to believe in God to order to answer these questions? Or is atheistic Communism the true solution?"

These questions seem simple, but each answer leads to another question which requires an answer. Many people have the simple answers but they do not know the why or how, of the answer and therefore do not fully solve the puzzle. Additionally there are so many wayward answers that it is hard to believe that there is truth. When a person comes think this, he wonders if it worthwhile trying to solve such problems.

The One and Only
Anthony J McAtee

Introduction--A Review of the Book "A Christian View of Men and Things" by Gordon H. Clark C1S1

Added for the reader benefit. What is Philosophy? An academic discipline that is often divided into five major branches: logic; metaphysics; epistemology; ethics; and aesthetics; A comprehensive system of belief; A general principle (usually moral.)

The Purpose and Limits of this Book
(This is the Review of the first subsection of the book)

In the nineteenth century, the philosophy of the West was mostly Christian. However, with the advent of the twentieth century, many people started to see God as an impersonal being so that even if he does exist he has no effect on the "problems of society." Therefore, many Christians and practically all Atheist believe that Christianity as a prevailing philosophy will never again bring unity to our nation. Unfortunately this could be true, but it is unwise to assume such things without knowledge of how and why civilization has risen or fallen; without a philosophy of history.

Part of the problem is that there is no comprehensive system of philosophy for the Christian. "A God, or a belief in God that had no repercussions either in sociology or epistemology would be of little philosophic import. Therefore what is needed is a theistic philosophy that applies to every area of learning. However, since philosophy integrates all areas of study this would be impossible task except for a “modern Augustine.”

Therefore the attempt of this book will be, “To give some prospect of what a theistic worldview would be."; "Enable the reader to estimate how much of his intellectual capital is the result of reflective choice and how much is the result of imperceptible and desultory social absorption."; "And if I succeed in none of these this book will at least serve as an introduction to philosophy.”

The One and Only
Anthony J McAtee