Flight From Humanity

The philosophical idea that what is form or spirit (such as mind) is good and that which is physical (flesh) is evil has been with us for millennia. The Greeks formalized a system of thought around this idea, now called neoplatonism. This idea has definite implications, and this short book is a theological exploration of some of them.

Rushdoony is very decidedly a Christian scholar, and he reminds us that Scripture says all of man fell into sin—not just his flesh. The first sin was the desire to be as god, determining good and evil apart from God (Gen. 3:5). Where Neoplatonism presents man's dilemma as a metaphysical one, Scripture presents it as a moral problem. Basing Christianity on the false Neoplatonic idea will always shift the faith away from the Biblical perspective.

The ascetic quest sought to take refuge from sins of the flesh but failed to address the reality of sins of the heart and mind. In the name of humility, the ascetics manifested arrogance and pride. This pagan idea of spirituality entered the church and is the basis of some chronic problems in Western civilization.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Neoplatonism
3. Man as an Idea
4. The Passionless Ideal
5. Implications For Psychology
6. Michael Wigglesworth
7. Wigglesworth's Day of Doom
8. Neoplatonism and Puritanism
9. Neoplatonism and Modern Man

   Appendices

   1. Neoplatonism and Feminism
   2. Neoplatonism and Economics