
Seven Letters to Melin
Essays on the Soul, Science, Art and Mortality
Josef Safarik(Author)
Karolinum,Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy,Czech Republic (Publisher)
Published on 1. August 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
300 pages
978-80-246-4375-5 (ISBN)
Description
Josef Safarik's Seven Letters to Melin is an exploration of man's alienation from nature-and from himself-in the modern technological age. Conceived as a series of letters to Melin, an engineer who believes in the value of science and technical progress, the book grows skeptical of such endeavors, while also examining mankind's search for meaning in life. To help uncover this meaning, Safarik posits a dichotomy between spectator and participant. The role of participant is played by Robert, an artist who has committed suicide. The spectator, embodied by the scientist Melin, views the world from a distance and searches for explanations, while the artist-participant creates the world through his own active engagement.
Through these exchanges, Safarik argues for the primacy of artistic creativity over scientific explanation, of truth over accuracy, of internal moral agency over an externally imposed social morality, and of personal religious belief over organized church-going. Safarik is neither anti-scientific nor anti-rational; however, he argues that science has limited power, and he rejects the idea of science that denies meaning and value to what cannot be measured or calculated.
Safarik's critiques of technology, the wage economy, and increased professionalization make him an important precursor to the philosophy of deep ecology. This book was also a major influence on the Czech president Vaclav Havel; in this new translation it will find a fresh cohort of readers interested in what makes us human.
Through these exchanges, Safarik argues for the primacy of artistic creativity over scientific explanation, of truth over accuracy, of internal moral agency over an externally imposed social morality, and of personal religious belief over organized church-going. Safarik is neither anti-scientific nor anti-rational; however, he argues that science has limited power, and he rejects the idea of science that denies meaning and value to what cannot be measured or calculated.
Safarik's critiques of technology, the wage economy, and increased professionalization make him an important precursor to the philosophy of deep ecology. This book was also a major influence on the Czech president Vaclav Havel; in this new translation it will find a fresh cohort of readers interested in what makes us human.
Reviews / Votes
"Especially with conditions as they are today, the entire oeuvre of Safarik appears to be the heir and continuation of a philosophical tradition to which it would now be wise to return." -- David Drozd, Masaryk University "Safarik sees that what ails modern science is the incompatibility between the truth to which it aspires and mankind's desire for salvation." -- Ivan M. Havel, director of the Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University, PragueMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Ovocny
Czech Republic
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 189 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
512 gr
ISBN-13
978-80-246-4375-5 (9788024643755)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2021
Karolinum Press
€19.49
Available for download

E-Book
08/2021
Karolinum Press
€19.49
Available for download
Persons
Josef Safarik (1907-92) was a Czech author and thinker. Ian Finlay Stone graduated from the University of Cambridge and has translated works for various agencies and government bureaus.