Infinite Minds: A Philosophical Cosmology

Daniel M. Kolos is president of Benben Books, a company publishing
scholarly works.

Admitting that philosophical tenets are not provable, John Leslie
nevertheless embarks on a twisted and often confusing set of arguments
to show that a Spinozist philosopher can step into the 21st century and
make sense of our expanding and complicated universe or “universes.”
Although good and evil are contradictory values in a polarized universe,
Leslie argues his way to a holistic universe without being able to bring
himself to conclude that, in a holistic world of goodness, evil is
irrelevant and vice versa. In six long chapters, he articulates his
pantheistic views, contrasting dead philosophers with current anglophone
ones as well as his own “what if” arguments. Although he succeeds
admirable in weaving his own personal views among so many others, it is
unfortunate that he fails to include the collective consciousness touted
by contemporary French philosophers and psychoanalysts.

Finally, the author defines “structures” according to a
“completely accurate physics.” That scientific parameter, however,
ignores the “spirit” of things with structure, which is a basic
tenet of many Aboriginal cultures. Instead, Leslie prefers to juxtapose
artificial reality with illusion paradox. The depth of his arguments,
however, reach into the intricacies of quantum physics and his
lighthearted approach is helpful in tackling the difficulties of his
arguments.