by John Chambers ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2011
Notes toward a breaching of the science/spirituality divide, told with freethinking verve and scientific skepticism.
An attempt to situate the soul in the subatomic realm, and a consideration of what may happen to it after the death of the body.
The science of physics may just be the tool to locate the soul, says physicist Chambers in this enjoyable, sometimes mind-bending and sometimes vexing inquiry. He starts with a brief overview of developments in physics during the last few centuries, displaying his talent for communicating the gist of complex topics to his intended lay audience. But sometimes “including only the salient points while leaving out the extra fluff” can be counterproductive, if some of that “fluff” leads to clarification. To say that “a black hole stores all its information on its outside surface” isn’t enough—some meaningful explanation is required, or lay readers won’t follow the thread. The author later tenders some pretty fantastic stuff that a willed suspension of disbelief won’t accommodate. Chambers asks readers to appreciate that physicists have increasingly come to view information as conceptual, and that matter and energy arise from it, rather than vice versa. Hence, thanks to the law of the conservation of energy, information cannot be destroyed—“Everything that ever was will always be a part of this world.” He states that the same applies to one’s soul, which is the information that comprises our capacity to be mortal beings. That information is “defined by the states of individual electrons, but also by their relationship with each other,” which allows for ghost electrons of the quantum potential to drive themselves to self-referential experience upon brain death. Near this point, readers may be lost trying to understand how electrons coupled with the spin lattices of loop quantum gravity “could associate themselves with the physical electrons of a newborn,” resulting in reincarnation. It is also difficult to square that the Higgs boson “makes your soul possible,” but that it’s still unclear whether the particle actually exists. Then again, the author’s reflections on singularity, consciousness, solving the clone problem, time travel and the breathtaking capacity of holographic physics positively shimmer as alternative understandings.
Notes toward a breaching of the science/spirituality divide, told with freethinking verve and scientific skepticism.Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1453763537
Page Count: 137
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005
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
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by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955
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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by Albert Camus ; translated by Justin O'Brien & Sandra Smith
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by Albert Camus ; translated by Ellen Conroy Kennedy & Justin O'Brien
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by Albert Camus translated by Arthur Goldhammer edited by Alice Kaplan
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