A diverting look at a trait whose name belies its rarity. Joseph (Gaia, 1990) poses some basic questions about common sense and then looks in odd places for his answers. To discover how common sense works, he watches a team of artificial- intelligence researchers in Texas trying to teach it to a supercomputer named ``Cyc.'' To find where common sense comes from, he shows us psychologists delving into its development in the very young. And to learn how it's taught, he visits Berea College, a small liberal-arts school in Kentucky, where he observes that the best way to teach it is by example. To the question of whether a culture based on common sense exists anywhere, Joseph points to Iceland, which, he says, is not only ``the world's only technologically advanced hunter-gatherer society'' but also a highly pragmatic one that balances the needs of nature and humanity. To the more sobering question of where common sense is going, Joseph answers: down the tubes—as exemplified by the World Bank, which he dubs ``both a symbol and a symptom of the need for more common sense in running the world.'' To Joseph, our ability to observe the world has outstripped our ability to understand it, leading to confusion and to common sense losing its commonality. The author concludes with ten guidelines to common sense (``Beware of BS in CS Form,'' etc.), though they seem to be afterthoughts offering little in the way of guidance. Fuzzy—but interesting as a collection of amusing/instructive anecdotes, lively opinions, and quotable quotes.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-201-58116-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1993
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
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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