I’m currently reading Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay (available for free from Project Gutenberg here). I’m about to start the chapter entitled “Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard” which is quite possibly the best title of any chapter, ever, but unfortunately it’s got nothing to do with what I’d like to say here.
So far Mackay has covered the ‘south sea bubble’, ‘tulipomania’ and various alchemists – he’ll go on to talk about witch mania, haunted houses and the proliferation of duelling. In all of these chapters there is one conspicuous absence – religion. Now Mackay published his book in 1841, some 18 years before Darwin’s Origin of Species (which he apparently held back for about 20 years because he was afraid it would receive a poor reception from what we’d call Creationists). It still annoys me that someone like Mackay, who shows contempt for all the alchemists (even if some of them did discover useful chemical properties) says things like:
“God himself, for his own wise purposes, has more than once undrawn the impenetrable veil which shrouds those awful secrets; and, for purposes just as wise, he has decreed that, except in these instances, ignorance shall be out lot for ever.”
There’s such a massive elephant in the room I keep expecting it to start performing circus tricks.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Ah! One of my most awesomest books. And it has enormous cachet among people who are impressed by obscure-looking books. I always leave my copy in an easily-sighted location so I get the chance to start on some windy exposition about how experts are always wrong or other.
I believe it is no co-incidence that I receive few dinner invitations.