Article by Cameron Spink

 

It is an onerous task to step through time with the fathers of philosophy. It is even more difficult to ensure that any book that does so is kept at a level for the "layperson". Yet, R. C. Sproul promises to do so in the introduction of his book The Consequences Of Ideas and does so with aplomb. This book is small enough not to overwhelm any potential reader but does not substitute any historical meat while doing so.

 

Sproul does an amazing job of making the deep questions utterly attainable and relevant for the modern person. He does not pose questions of monarchy (singular beginning) in so much as he shows us what past philosophers have dwelled upon. While doing so he doesn't belittle any ideas that we know today to be fallacious but present them in a levelled and respectful manner.

 

Our journey starts with Thales of Miletus. His practical accomplishments would shame any physicist or engineer today despite 2,600 years worth of developments. From Thales Sproul introduces us to the many Greek philosophers who littered the B. C. era. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all receive large amounts of attention yet it is philosophers like Pythagoras and Thrasymachus who perhaps provide the most divisive philosophy. Both had tyrannical views of the world. Pythagoras lived in the 6^th century B. C. and was surrounded by an order known as the Pythagoreans. This group worshiped mathematics as holy. Thrasymachus' ideals were more sinister again. Sproul describes him as so:

"According to Thrasymachus, far from being an immoral person, the unjust person, realizing that crime does pay, is a superior person with superior intellect."

The Consequences Of Ideas, pg 28-29

 

From the Greek philosophers Sproul jumps us through the ages until we meet a very unique person. Thomas Aquinas is mentioned in glowing terms by Sproul:

 

"The angelic doctor stands as a giant in the intellectual world, and his work continues to be studied in every university, both sacred and secular. The great theologians of history display different styles and different gifts. But for sheer weight of intellect, I doubt that Thomas has had any peers...."

The Consequences Of Ideas, pg 65

 

In a short space Sproul outlines Aquinas' five proofs of God's existence. Despite the many centuries that have passed since Aquinas' time these proofs still stand on their own merit. From this point in time our attention is turned to philosophers of the ilk of Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant. In each chapter we are shown the historical context of these philosophical giant's works and as well as the reasons for their understanding of the universe.

 

Sproul illuminates the importance of ideas because "[w]e step into the game long after the game was conceived" (Introduction). As Christians we cannot merely dismiss the historical philosopher as unrecognisable because of their worldview. It is through philosophy that we can know the mind of man. What his thoughts dwells upon. Sproul offers us an excellent starting point in his book The Consequences Of Ideas. This book is perhaps too good and there are other thinkers who get scant mention, of whose ideas Sproul could have elaborated upon. This book also lacks substantive Christian content. Though one can tell that Sproul is very interested in his subject material it does differ only slightly from a small history textbook on philosophy.

 

Despite these drawbacks and Sproul's position on other affairs this book manages to tease the reader to desire to know more. To know why Nietzsche favoured nihilism or delve into Hegel's Dialectic or to reason with Descartes "Cogito, ergo sum". This book is a tremendous resource for those who wish to have an overview of the history of philosophy at their fingertips and see how we have reached the postmodern age.