Noah and the Flood in Western Thought

Philip C. Almond's Noah and the Flood in Western Thought examines two millennia of interpretations and secular receptions of the Noah story, showing its influence beyond theology into disciplines like geology, geography, and zoology.

Almond argues that the narrative served as a framework for early scientific questions about origins, human diversity, and natural history, and he traces shifting readings from allegorical to literal.

The book connects historical debates over the Flood to modern movements such as creation science and contemporary environmental anxieties.

Almond concludes that while Noah once symbolized divine deliverance, today responsibility for averting disaster lies with human action.

The study situates Noah as a persistent cultural myth relevant to current climate crises and theologies of stewardship.