Ancient modernism is not a theory of everything.

First of all, the attempt to construct a theory of everything betrays a misunderstanding of both science and philosophy, and of their intersection. A theory of science has its place within the philosophical framework of ancient modernism, but theories are for science and philosophy is not science in the way that word is currently used.

What is a theory of everything? Marxism is probably the readiest and most accessible example. Karl Marx sought to explain every facet of existence under the rubric of economic evolution, interpreting history, religion, morality, war, and so on as part of a massive teleological project to bring all humanity out of subjugation via violent revolution.

That's an unfairly simplistic analysis of Marxism, to be sure, but it demonstrates the "theory of everything" principle: man's need to put everything into place and give it meaning in light of some "big picture" context. Even nihilists have a meaningful theory of everything (the idea that nothing has meaning is, in itself, an assertion of meaning).

Postmodernism would seem for many to have eliminated the need for or possibility of a theory of everything. More thoroughly even than nihilism, postmodernism destroys any basis for assertions of meaning, compelling its adherents to reject truth claims of every kind and defy meaning on even the most ontological level by accepting all truth as truth (and thereby, accepting none of it).

Yet, because human nature refuses to die, even in the face of existentialist assertions of its non-existence, even postmodernists infuse their philosophy with a strong dose of teleology. Maybe there isn't an all-encompassing end toward which mankind is headed, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't work hard to be accepting of one another in the interest of a loving and compassionate society.

I'm speaking, of course, primarily of postmodern popularizers. There are those under the label (though increasingly the label is becoming passe and old-fashioned) that would assert the supreme autonomy of every individual to construct a life for himself of his own imagining and desire. But this, too, is teleological, and amounts to a theory of everything.

A theory of everything only works in a world where there is no reliable truth, no ontological realities to affirm, no God and therefore no revelation. The man who accepts God's Word as his standard for truth and reality need not construct a comprehensive theory of everything beyond what the Bible offers—he need only understand what God says and live according to His precepts.

Ancient modernism is not an attempt to explain everything. It's a philosophical attitude which admits both intellectual curiosity and exploration, and reliance on God's self-revelation. It attempts to marry the naivete of the ancients and Medievals with the cynicism of the moderns, to bring skepticism under the directional guidance of Christian reason.

The goal of ancient modernism is neither to explain everything (except as the Bible allows), nor to foster credulity. We must be careful thinkers, but we must also affirm there are many things we will never and can never know, to be simultaneously bold and humble as people and as thinkers. One man can never come to truth alone, and it is the project of ancient modernism to overturn the rampant island-making that has characterized so much of modern, postmodern, and post-postmodern thought.