The question raised in this book is why Spinoza's work which comes so close to the modern view
of natural science is not prominent in the social sciences. The answer suggested is that this
is due to the lingering influence of the Cartesian differentiation between the domain of
science dealing with material bodies in space and time and the realm of thought to which the
mind belongs. Spinoza's rejection of this mind body dualism was based on his conviction that
the human mind was an essential part of the 'forces' which maintain human existence. Since this
view fits so well the evolutionary view of life the book suggests that after Darwin when this
dualism became untenable it was replaced by a nature versus culture dichotomy. The book
examines whether the history of the philosophy of science supports this explanation. The author
believes that answering this question is important because of the rising influence of cultural
relativism which endangers the very survival of modern science and political stability.
