William Egginton’s book, The Rigor of Angels, artfully binds together an unlikely trio of great thinkers: scientist Werner Heisenberg, philosopher Immanuel Kant and author Jorge Luis Borges. Despite their lives spanning different centuries, continents and fields of study, their shared understanding of the unknowable nature of reality forms a compelling common thread.
Through biographical glimpses of these individuals, Egginton explores their pioneering ideas and their intellectual heritage. From Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle which argues that a particle’s position and momentum cannot be simultaneously known, to Kant’s The Critique of Pure Reason, the subjects of this engaging book have individually had profound influences on our comprehension of ourselves in relation to the physical world.
Egginton argues that recognising the fallible nature of our subjective human experience is not an act of conservatism, but an essential starting point for metaphysical explorations. He demonstrates how our human viewpoint can shed light on the the essential nature of reality as Kant suggests, noting the hints of virtue in the most hardened of sinners as an evidence of universal moral laws.
In contrast to the philosophical approach of Heisenberg and Kant, the work of Borges invites readers into captivating cosmic mysteries through his fiction. His stories, The Aleph and Funes the Memorious, offer cautionary tales about the contradictions posed when subjective and objective experiences intertwine, often resulting in monstrous characters claiming to know the divine plan.
Complementing our core trio, The Rigor of Angels introduces a supporting cast including Zeno, Boethius, and Leibniz, who are explored not gratuitously, but to underline their influence on future generations. Wrapping biography and theory in a fluid narrative, Egginton’s work excellently reunites three formidable figures, celebrating their shared intellectual humility.