A moderately successful attempt to make philosophy more accessible.
A progressive treatise that intends to bring philosophy to a wider audience.
As the world inexorably turns toward increased globalization amid remarkable technological advances, stark divisions remain, and large groups of people are left behind. With that in mind, Maritz aims to map out areas where humanity can achieve greater mutual understanding and productive enlightenment. The book opens with a candid preface that directs readers to a helpful glossary. Alongside lengthy considerations of language, the human mind and society, the author presents shorter chapters on a variety of subjects such as evolution, materialism, morality, sexuality, art, education, history and politics. While some readers may struggle with the more abstract concepts, Maritz is at his best when he backs up his theories with concrete examples, often culled from his home country of South Africa: principally, the history of apartheid. He’s particularly convincing in his extended analysis of religion, making sure to acknowledge both its charitable endeavors and its destructive effects. However, lapses in editing or faulty sentence structure can sometimes interfere with clarity: “More recently we have the wars between Muslim and Muslim and Christian between Muslim.” Most readers will understand what Maritz is trying to say, but the text could have benefitted from a polish. Throughout, the author maintains a humorous, somewhat off-kilter tone, and his asides can be entertaining or occasionally jarring. For example, writing on the topic of passion, he notes: “All of us know where passionate romantic love ends and how sadists experience orgasm by not only killing their victims, but also deliberately mutilating the bodies.” Many passages also demonstrate a solid, concise writing style that effectively communicates Maritz’s message of justice and equality: “[L]iteracy without ethics empowers white-collar thugs,” he writes, “and education without opportunities for the fulfillment of material expectations creates hopelessness, if not rebellion.”
A moderately successful attempt to make philosophy more accessible.Pub Date: March 19, 2012
ISBN: 978-1434988423
Page Count: 126
Publisher: Rosedog Press
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
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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