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Books

Undermining the Present?

Bob Fitter reviews Bryan Appleyard’s book Understanding the Present.

In his book Dilemmas, Gilbert Ryle (whom no one seems to take seriously these days) ruefully remarks:

“…no one nowadays is hardy enough to say ‘Bo’ to science…”

That was forty years ago, and was probably not strictly true even then. There was the hardiness of Ryle himself for a start. These days there is still a reluctance to challenge the authority of science. Those who do are usually labelled as pre-scientific, New- Ager, Flat-Earther or witch. Terms that convince all but the hardy to keep their heads well down; and yet here we have Bryan Appleyard prepared to joust at the current orthodoxy.

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