Showing posts with label critical thinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label critical thinking. Show all posts

Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe Review

Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe
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Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe ReviewA lot of books have been written in the last few years exploring whether or not there is a God. This is not one of them.
Refreshingly, Greg Epstein starts a step further down along the line of debate. His premise, stated simply, is this; However they got there, there is now a significant portion of the population who simply do not believe in God. And yet most of them (including himself)live what would be thought of by most as perfectly "good" lives, raising their children, taking care of their parents, helping out in the community, and the like. They are people you would like to have as neighbors. So if they don't believe in God, why do they act in this way? Why aren't they all out marauding, looting and pillaging? If not God, what do they believe in?
Of course, there is no one answer. But in a straight-forward, learned, yet conversational style, Epstein takes us on a brief tour of the history of non-religious based thought and ethics (which extends back as far as religious history.) He then turns to explaining a simple, rational, functional basis for exploring morality and ethics in society, and how one can do this by synthesizing the lessons of history and human experience, aided by science and research. But Epstein's emphasis is on the story of the human experience. He recognizes there are needs beyond cold rationalism to find out what is important in life. There is a place for a sense of awe, for humility, for art and nature. But he finds it in places other than a belief in God.
Epstein knows that atheism is a negative statement, that is to say, a statement of what is not believed rather than what is believed. This leads him to spend the later chapters in an explanation of Humanism, a "lifestance" (his word, which I like immensely) rather than a religion, encompassing a view of life in which compassion, joy, service and human interaction is lived and celebrated for its own sake. One of the strengths of the book is that this Lifestance is not presented in a confrontational mode. He does not shape this explanation in terms of "this is better than religion" although it is clear it makes more sense to him. Rather, it is presented as a "here is what I believe, and more importantly, why it makes sense to me" fashion. He is quick, and even eager, to point out that many of the ideas that shape Humanism are recognizble in religious traditions as well. These lessons are not to be tossed out just because one doesn't believe in God. Some still make sense, some do not. His emphasis throughout is that the important thing is what people do and how they behave to each other.
The books of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens argue that belief in God makes no sense. If your question is whether there is a god, then read those authors (and their religious counterparts.) But if you are now at a place where that question is settled, the question that then presents itself is- how do I live my life? Greg Epstein provides an answer in this excellent book, which is sure to be a work that will resonate for years to come.
Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe Overview

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The Death of "Why?": The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy (BK Currents (Paperback)) Review

The Death of Why: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy (BK Currents (Paperback))
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The Death of "Why": The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy (BK Currents (Paperback)) ReviewAndrea Batista Schlesinger's new book is one that really makes you think. Though its focus is primarily on the habits and miseducation of young people, the issues raised have broad applicability to all segments of society. (Before you read on, please note that I may be somewhat biased, as I helped the author early on in the writing process by responding to several surveys she conducted as part of her research.)
The main question is: Have we forgotten how to ask questions and is this leaching the life and vitality out of our society? In particular, are we so used to getting easy answers through modern conveniences like internet search engines that we don't even bother to think deeply about anything anymore? Are we really becoming a society of "headline skimmers" who are too impatient to read whole newspaper stories (let alone whole books)?
From beginning to end, this book got me thinking. The author has many theories and ideas you'll have to ponder. She suggests we need to institute "slow democracy," where we all take more time to think about, and debate, policy issues; she believes schools need to teach young people how to participate in their communities rather than training them to balance their checkbooks; she thinks the current way we do presidential debates is a sham where the candidates get to yammer on about whatever they want without actually answering the questions that were posed to them; she posits the proposition that our country was founded on a single question: "Why can't I be free?" and that, therefore, the need to question things is at the very root of our democracy.
She will get you thinking about, and questioning, everything you've done, are doing, and may or may not want to do.The Death of "Why": The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy (BK Currents (Paperback)) Overview

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The System The Dating Dictionary Review

The System The Dating Dictionary
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The System The Dating Dictionary ReviewI don't understand why the price is so high; it's a fairly short paperback book. That said it's the best book on dating (out of many) that I have read. It's laid out like a dictionary, with subjects in alphabetical order followed by a 1-10 page article. I think that the Doc may be too radical in some of his recommendations, but in general the information is very valuable.
You can get a thorough understanding of his point of view by reading his weekly columns on the Ask Men web site. There are about 300 archived articles; you'll learn enough to decide whether this book is for you.
I bought my copy from the Amazon web site for $50 from a third party and I consider it well worth it, although it may be an older edition.
I suggest that you read some of Doc's articles on Ask Men. If you like it, there's enough there to keep you busy while you keep checking Amazon for a good price.
I highly recommend it.The System The Dating Dictionary Overview

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