Worlds Apart: A Dialogue of the 1960s - Exploring Cultural Divides in Mid-Century America | Perfect for History Enthusiasts & Social Studies Classrooms

We need more books like Worlds Apart. Not only is the philosophical content rich, and the style seamless, but the very premise of this work is extremely important in today's world. Specialization is not inherently bad. It is useful in many ways. But the "knowing more and more about less and less" that is a central theme of this book is a dangerous side effect. We need discussions like this to be going on constantly in academia if we ever hope to get out of the paralysis and dogma that currently plagues it. This book is a model for how dialogue should be conducted between the specialties. This does not mean that we need to all become dilettantes, but merely that we need to keep the lines of communication open between different spheres of the intellectual world. Human brains work best when there is a strong connection between the different hemispheres. Why should the world of human ideas be any different?While there is a message that Barfield is trying to send out in this book (an anthroposophical one), there is also a great deal of openness in his style. He is not dismissive of any point of view, and gives each participant in the dialogue a chance to state his position fully. While Burgeon speaks more or less for Barfield personally, he does not dominate the other characters, and is rebuked more than once.Highly recommended for fans of intellectual discourse, philosophy, and even novels.