The Age of Genius: The Seventeenth Century and the Birth of the Modern Mind

In this insightful history, Grayling (The Challenge of Things), a professor of philosophy and master at the New College of the Humanities in London, claims that the 17th century “is in fact the epoch in the history of the human mind.” He theorizes that this period marked a momentous transition in the way people think and approach the world, that “the mindset of the best-informed people in that century changed from being medieval to being modern in so short and tumultuous a time.” Recognizing the vastness of his area of focus and the impossibility of covering it all in one volume, Grayling nevertheless makes a spirited effort to address as much as possible. He ties together the wars that disrupted the status quo and transformed the geopolitical landscape, the onset of the scientific revolution that supplanted superstition, and the general flow of ideas and inspiration, showing how numerous figures in dozens of disciplines contributed to a cultural evolution. The 17th century in Europe, he concludes, “redirected the course of human history by changing humankind’s perspective on the universe and itself.” Grayling’s style is densely academic, but his book is nonetheless informative and thoughtful. Agency: Felicity Bryan Literary Agency. (Mar.)