Abstract:

The book contains philosophical essays that explore such fundamental questions of existence the world and man, as matter and consciousness, body and spirit, reason and faith, knowledge and opinion, science and religion, evolution and creation, freedom and slavery. These categories are considered not in themselves, but in the historical context of the development of mankind´s view of the Universe and your place in it. The book, despite the fact that it involves complex issues of understanding the real world, written in a clear, concise, scholarly and yet accessible and understandable to a wide circle of readers language. The author, a famous Belarusian scientist, who published more than 300 scientific and technical papers, convincingly defends the theses of the real world, absorbed the best achievements of human thought and modern science. In his writing he openly and uncompromisingly confronts between two radically opposing views on the major questions of human existence: the materialistic (atheistic) and religious. The author examines the evolution of mythological, religious and scientific ideas about the world and man through the life and struggles of specific historical figures, philosophers, thinkers, scientists. This struggle of ideas and worldviews are not gone, but rather, to a large extent determines the fate of the modern world. To understand the present and anticipate the future, it is necessary to know the past, know its root ideological errors and misconceptions. This book is about the struggle of the mind with human stupidity, which today continues to rule the world. The book, appealing to the heart and mind of every thinking reader can help the development of analytical, critical, scientific thinking and protection from the zombies by various forces of society, trying to turn people into mindless and obedient creature.

Keywords: science, philosophy, religion, God, matter, consciousness, mind, spirit, truth, delusion, astrology, mythology, astronomy, geocentrism, heliocentrism, Giordano Bruno, Islam, Koran, Charlie Hebdo, religious feelings, feelings of atheists, the law on protection of feelings