A provocative and well-researched stand for intelligent design, weakened somewhat by overconfident conclusions.
A debut book argues that recent discoveries in science confirm the existence of God and a transcendently purposeful life.
According to Peterson, readers are confronted with two mutually exclusive options for understanding the universe: either it is the inadvertent result of random physical forces and human life is shiftlessly arbitrary, or the cosmos was thoughtfully designed by a supreme intellect and individuals are guided by a profound spiritual destiny. The scientific community, he contends, has been far too dismissive of the argument for intelligent design, assuming that a very narrow conception of physical causation commandeers a monopoly on the market of reason. But all that changed in 2012 when scientists discovered the long sought-after Higgs boson particle, commonly referred to as the “God Particle,” because of the extraordinary scope of its causal and explanatory power. Really a field rather than a particle, the Higgs boson is the ultimate building block, both the cause of all matter and the source of its rational organization. Everything that exists is essentially energy, and the Higgs boson provides the DNA-like instructions for all energy particles, which are the core constituents of the atoms that make up molecules. This level of order and perfection, Peterson avers, repudiates the view that the world is an accident, a cosmic fluke. The author considers other recent scientific revelations as well, including a new understanding of infinity, black holes, gravity, and magnetism to further cast a pall of suspicion on the rejection of intelligent design. Peterson is a lawyer, not a scientist, but his grasp of the most recent advancements in physics and cosmology is impressive, and he’s skilled at marshaling a persuasive argument. He also knowledgably highlights the empirical gaps in evolutionary theory, especially with respect to human life and the emergence of consciousness. But despite his commitment to epistemological openness, Peterson’s tendency is to convert thousands of years of philosophical disputes into an open-and-shut case, declaring the outright victory of intelligent design. He’s at his best when, instead of intellectual stridency, he acknowledges the irresolvable mystery of the universe.
A provocative and well-researched stand for intelligent design, weakened somewhat by overconfident conclusions.Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-5731-6
Page Count: 166
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2017
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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