ABSTRACT
A consideration of Beck's ideas about therapeutic theory reveals them as wide-ranging and profound. As a man of ideas, he shows himself to be eclectic and pragmatic. At a time of deadening specialism in academic ®elds, he is an open and free spirit. Brie¯y considering comparison with other comparable ®gures, he might be said to have been more open than Freud. Though he has fought his corner, he has been more open and responsive to criticism. He has been more rigorous and persistent in his empirical work than Rogers and Ellis, and has shown more diplomatic skill than either. The closest comparison to my mind is with Darwin. Darwin's theory is probably even more parsimonious and yet more elegant than Beck's and therefore tops them all. Beck shared Darwin's early physical frailty but perhaps was more robust in overcoming it. His theory has mighty enemies, as did that of Darwin, and he has shown more courage in putting it in the public domain than Darwin did. He is a gentle and nice person ± and yet, like Darwin, he has a touch of steel when needed. While Darwin's theory has profoundly shaped much modern science and thought, Beck's theories have had more practical effects in relieving mental suffering ± but to see this more clearly, we need to proceed to Part 2.
