He charges the cultural-literati side of the intellectual elite with making itself obsolete by ignoring or at best passing over the achievements of science in the past century. One of Watson's critical points is disclosed in the introduction.

When I give this five stars, it means five solid stars, one of the most fascinating nonfiction books I've ever read. The author is telling an important story of the 20th century, one that deserves a straightforward read, even if such a read sounds daunting at 772 pages. One approaches a massive tome with big ambitions under the assumption that the author probably covered the territory rather well, but it's rare to find something as satisfying in multiple dimensions as 'The Modern Mind.' Jacket blurbs and some reviews suggest dipping into this work in encyclopedic fashion, in a manner similar to dabbling with 'The Autobiography of Mark Twain.' No way. Peter Watson has lectured at the following venues: Gold Dagger – Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britainīeacon Award – SAFE Award – Saving Antiquities for Everyone Time Magazine, for The Medici Conspiracy, 2006Ĭopy from Patrick Meehan after I had written a series of articles which brought about his release from prison after he had been wrongly convicted of murder, 1976. Times Literary Supplement, for Ideas, 2005 Independent on Sunday, for A Terrible Beauty, 2000 Psychology Today Magazine, 1978, for War on the Mindĭaily Mail, 1990, for Wisdom and Strength To study the psychiatric profession and its links to the administration of justice United States Government Bursary “for future world leaders”

He lives in London where his interests include theatre, opera and fishing.

He has published twelve books of non-fiction and seven novels, some under the pen name of Mackenzie Ford. He has published three exposes in the world of art and antiquities and from 1997 to 2007 was a Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. He returned to London to write a column about the art world for the Observer and then at The Sunday Times. He wrote the daily Diary column of the London Times before becoming that paper’s New York correspondent. Peter Watson was educated at the universities of Durham, London and Rome, and was awarded scholarships in Italy and the United States.Īfter a stint as Deputy Editor of New Society magazine, he was for four years part of the Sunday Times ‘Insight’ team of investigative journalists.

The modern mind by peter watson