Ancient Wisdom and Modern Misconceptions

Smith's most comprehensive work

I have read four of Smith's books now (this, Cosmos and Transcendence, Theistic Evolution, and Physics and Vertical Causation). This is the most comprehensive, spanning his theories about the "quantum paradox" (more thoroughly than in P&VC), geocentricism, Darwinian evolution, and intelligent design. Smith's works can be frustrating to a beginner, because he is always referring back to other previous works (since they largely build on one another, this is very easily forgivable). But if you have to get one and only one book by Smith, this is which will give you the best mix of diversity of topics and depths of treatment. (If you are prepared for more than one, start with Cosmos and Transcendence) Highly recommended. Smith is a philosopher, but his mode of attacking modern thought is not "from above," but "from below." While many philosophers can critique modern science for abandoning common sense (most notably Aristotlean/Thomistic substantial forms), Smith begins with critiquing one of the major problems in quantum physics itself (the "quantum enigma") and works his way back to traditional philosophy. It is meant to convince people who are not already convinced by the ancient philosophers, to show how ancient philosophy can improve modern science, not merely critique it.