Books like Forbidden knowledge by Roger Shattuck


In Forbidden Knowledge, Roger Shattuck examines the persistent theme of forbidden knowledge throughout Western literature and culture. He charts its evolution from the biblical Eden to the development of the atomic bomb and recombinant DNA, arguing that humanity’s relentless pursuit has eroded moral limits and innocence. Shattuck uses a range of literary and philosophical sources—Prometheus, Milton’s Paradise Lost, the Marquis de Sade, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Melville’s Billy Bud, and Emily Dickinson’s poems—to illuminate how myths and texts shape our understanding of knowledge and ethics. He cautions that some chapters, notably Chapter VII, contain content unsuitable for younger readers. The book serves as a call to reexamine our moral and spiritual assumptions amid modern skepticism, positioning itself as a seminal work on the intersection of literature, science, and ethics.
First publish date: 1996
Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Literary Fiction
Authors: Roger Shattuck
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.4 (21 community ratings)

Forbidden knowledge by Roger Shattuck

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