A good idea derailed for the sake of entertainment. Readers interested in this topic should turn to Gary Gutting’s Talking...
In this 21st-century take on the long-standing tradition of philosophical dialogue, two intellectuals battle it out in the arena of ideas and witticisms.
Unfortunately for readers, the resulting conversation is a rather unappealing combination of sophomoric jokes and theoretical conundrums. The work is neither insightful enough to engage those interested in the theoretical arguments behind theism and atheism, nor is it accessible enough to appeal to a broader audience. That’s not to say Rauser (Historical Theology/Taylor Seminary; Is the Atheist My Neighbor?: Rethinking Christian Attitudes Toward Atheism, 2015, etc.) and Schieber, an atheist lecturer and YouTube contributor, don’t cover weighty topics. Among those is “massive theological disagreement”—if God exists, why are ideas about his nature so thoroughly varied? Elsewhere, the question arises of why God would have created a universe that is almost entirely inhospitable toward the few sentient beings meant to worship him. Do the beauty and perfection of mathematics lead one to believe in a creating God, or is this simply a fortunate reality of existence? What does evolution teach us about the existence or nonexistence of God? Rauser and Schieber go back and forth with these and other topics but offer few conclusions. Their subject matter, however, is riddled with jokes, puns, and other attempts at humor and levity, which, if minimized, would have the desired effect of removing the loaded problem of “argument” from this age-old discussion. However, the authors take it too far. After countless lines like, “I feel sick that my slick shtick doesn’t stick,” or, “since the reader can’t see me, let the record reflect that my eyebrows are rising in incredulity,” readers will simply feel patronized.
A good idea derailed for the sake of entertainment. Readers interested in this topic should turn to Gary Gutting’s Talking God: Philosophers on Belief (2016).Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-63388-243-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.
A teacher and scholar of Buddhism offers a formally varied account of the available rewards of solitude.
“As Mother Ayahuasca takes me in her arms, I realize that last night I vomited up my attachment to Buddhism. In passing out, I died. In coming to, I was, so to speak, reborn. I no longer have to fight these battles, I repeat to myself. I am no longer a combatant in the dharma wars. It feels as if the course of my life has shifted onto another vector, like a train shunted off its familiar track onto a new trajectory.” Readers of Batchelor’s previous books (Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World, 2017, etc.) will recognize in this passage the culmination of his decadeslong shift away from the religious commitments of Buddhism toward an ecumenical and homegrown philosophy of life. Writing in a variety of modes—memoir, history, collage, essay, biography, and meditation instruction—the author doesn’t argue for his approach to solitude as much as offer it for contemplation. Essentially, Batchelor implies that if you read what Buddha said here and what Montaigne said there, and if you consider something the author has noticed, and if you reflect on your own experience, you have the possibility to improve the quality of your life. For introspective readers, it’s easy to hear in this approach a direct response to Pascal’s claim that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Batchelor wants to relieve us of this inability by offering his example of how to do just that. “Solitude is an art. Mental training is needed to refine and stabilize it,” he writes. “When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.” Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it.
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-300-25093-0
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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