The Hellenic contributions to Western Civilization are acknowledged by all, but the details of this endowment are often poorly understood and under-appreciated. This volume is intended as a remedy for these shortcomings. In particular, it seeks to disclose two distinctive features of Western culture uniquely attributable to the ancient Greeks: a human-centered worldview that elevated humans to the threshold of divinity and a philosophical temperament which for the first time in history proffered unbridled operation of the human mind as a kind of cultural imperative. These features are demonstrated by a detailed examination of 18 seminal thinkers who left lasting impressions in such fields as ethics, medicine, religion, politics, poetry and art. Collectively, the efforts of these individuals helped establish a unique cultural pedigree unlike any other in world history. They invested the West with that restless, intrepid habit of mind that remains the hallmark of Western civilisation to this day.

As a rule, societies are rarely inclined to examine their own premises. Instead, people are routinely expected, if not compelled, to endorse the prevailing system of values and beliefs. While this approach may appear useful in terms of maintaining cultural harmony, in truth it constitutes a serious threat to a society's general health and well-being because no society can benefit from having mechanically endorsed views serve as authoritative norms. It is imperative, therefore, that we continuously ratify our cultural premises and that skeptics and contrarians be given pride of place in this process. The Heretic's Handbook seeks to address these concerns by encouraging a series of irreverent assessments in such areas as human obligation, religious conviction, friendship, economic pursuits, and the role of technology in modern life. Ultimately, readers are encouraged to approach this volume as a kind of whetstone aimed at restoring the edge to perspectives too often dulled by the sophistries of conventional belief.