THE AGE OF NOTHING : HOW WE HAVE SOUGHT TO LIVE SINCE THE DEATH OF GOD PB – PETER WATSON

The closing months of 2008 saw the world s nations united in financial uncertainty. Amid endless reports of collapsing stock markets, failed banks, fiscal fraud and snowballing unemployment, THE AGE OF NOTHING offers a compelling insight into the demise of capitalism and the beginning of a new era. Peter Watson s scintillating thesis argues that the unprecedented credit crunch of 2008 was the result of a fundamental change in the fabric of society – one that became truly visible only as it reached its culmination. In a commanding narrative, Watson provides a historical perspective on the shift in our attitudes towards capitalism, while exploring the philosophical roots that underpin it. Of central importance in Watson s theory is Nietzsche s warning regarding mankind s responsibility for the death of God – and the consequences thereof. Nietzsche s views on the frailty of human values in a world bereft of religious faith were echoed by writers including Tolstoy, Marx and Kandinsky – and his chilling message went on to resonate with thinkers throughout the 20th century. When Max Weber called the modern world disenchanted , and argued that society must choose to create a new value system based on knowledge or else surrender and embrace a religious faith, he was the latest in a long line of intellectuals attempting to address the problem Nietzsche had laid bare. With the arrival of THE AGE OF NOTHING, the line continues. The work fills a crucial gap in our intellectual history and serves as a comprehensive study of society s current predicament – as well as a timely answer to the question of what to do next.