A complex and stimulatingly provocative look at just how possible a fulfilling life might be.
Bostrom conducts a philosophical inquiry into what gives life meaning.
The author (Superintelligence, 2014) here examines what he calls “the problem of utopia: the problem we will face after we have solved all the other problems.” He refers to this post-problem “deep utopia” as a “kind of philosophical particle accelerator” that, though clearly hypothetical (as he puts it, “We appear in no imminent danger of running out of woe”), is useful in examining what gives life meaning. Bostrom breaks down a number of different kinds of meaning life might obtain if all obstacles to fulfillment were removed, ranging from pure hedonistic pleasure to “social entanglement”; generally, he’s talking about the mixture of the practical and the personal that’s typically defined as “purpose.” “If someone proclaims X to be the meaning of their life,” he writes, “we may reasonably take X to be some sort of declaration of what they’re about, what they stand for, and what they are ultimately up to.” The author examines various ideas of personal fulfillment against the backdrop of an “encompassing transcendental purpose,” often including references to various schools of philosophy. The “decabillionaire’s gigayacht” is discussed right alongside Nietzsche and Camus in a quest to understand what kinds of things might give life meaning in a world without problems—and, by extension, in a world currently full of problems. One might think that as those problems get smaller, the passion they generate would also decline, but Bostrom points out that this isn’t always so: As he observes, more people cheer a soccer goal than cheer the eradication of a disease.
Bostrom is a marvelously energetic prose stylist; it’s uncanny how often he turns subjects like utilitarianism and Malthusian superabundance into genuinely thrilling reading. He vigorously explores the ramifications of the “age of abundance” he envisions that might supplant the “shallow redundancy” of current occupational labor: “Since it would eliminate both the need and the opportunity for paid work,” he writes, “it would cause one source of purpose to dry up, namely the purpose that many people currently find in their jobs.” Some of his authorial devices might come off as a bit twee (the ongoing Socratic dialogue between voices called Kelvin, Tessius, and Firafix, for instance, which runs throughout the book and grows tiresome after three pages), and some of his contentions will strike readers as debatable, to say the least. When he posits that a “maximally technologically capable” society would also be “very good,” for instance, he might be taking optimism a bit far. But the bulk of the text is immensely accessible and thought-provoking. Through it all, Bostrom employs a wry understated humor that’s often very quiet in its punchlines. “While technically doable,” he writes in one of many such passages, “eliminating boredom feelings would incur an ethical cost by distancing us from the normative ideal that our attitudes should match reality.” Tech fans will have much to consider here.
A complex and stimulatingly provocative look at just how possible a fulfilling life might be.Pub Date: March 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781646871643
Page Count: 536
Publisher: Ideapress Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.
A duo of French mathematicians makes the scientific case for God in this nonfiction book.
Since its 2021 French-language publication in Paris, this work by Bolloré and Bonnassies has sold more than 400,000 copies. Now translated into English for the first time by West and Jones, the book offers a new introduction featuring endorsements from a range of scientists and religious leaders, including Nobel Prize-winning astronomers and Roman Catholic cardinals. This appeal to authority, both religious and scientific, distinguishes this volume from a genre of Christian apologetics that tends to reject, rather than embrace, scientific consensus. Central to the book’s argument is that contemporary scientific advancements have undone past emphases on materialist interpretations of the universe (and their parallel doubts of spirituality). According to the authors’ reasoned arguments, what now forms people’s present understanding of the universe—including quantum mechanics, relativity, and the Big Bang—puts “the question of the existence of a creator God back on the table,” given the underlying implications. Einstein’s theory of relativity, for instance, presupposes that if a cause exists behind the origin of the universe, then it must be atemporal, non-spatial, and immaterial. While the book’s contentions related to Christianity specifically, such as its belief in the “indisputable truths contained in the Bible,” may not be as convincing as its broader argument on how the idea of a creator God fits into contemporary scientific understanding, the volume nevertheless offers a refreshingly nuanced approach to the topic. From the work’s outset, the authors (academically trained in math and engineering) reject fundamentalist interpretations of creationism (such as claims that Earth is only 6,000 years old) as “fanciful beliefs” while challenging the philosophical underpinnings of a purely materialist understanding of the universe that may not fit into recent scientific paradigm shifts. Featuring over 500 pages and more than 600 research notes, this book strikes a balance between its academic foundations and an accessible writing style, complemented by dozens of photographs from various sources, diagrams, and charts.
A remarkably thorough and thoughtful case for the reconciliation between science and faith.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9789998782402
Page Count: 562
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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