An old-fashioned intellectual search for truth, “unwilling to settle for rumors, unexamined assumptions, urban myths, folk...
Weidhorn (English/Yeshiva University) conducts a survey of the state of knowledge in some non-scientific disciplines and reveals widespread uncertainty behind the mask of quotidian certitude.
The author radiates infectious, provocative fun as he makes the case for skepticism. He skirts applied science–explaining that he lacks any depth of familiarity in that arena (though the Scientific Revolution looms large here)–but rambunctiously engages “government propaganda and secrecy, corporate advertising and cheating, Pharisaic religiosity in the public square, sectarian rhetoric, partisan talking points, stockbrokers’ dubious recommendations, misuse of medicines and pharmaceutics, lawyerly sophistry”–all the suffocating lint of daily life. Given our imperfection and ignorance, he asks, how can we be absolutely sure about anything? In the absence of definitive evidence, aren’t statements about reality only theories? Weidhorn is a believer in suspending belief and disbelief, exercising doubt, living and letting live, neither expecting nor pining for resolution–but always thinking hard and openly. Skepticism is not the truth; it is merely less untenable than other philosophies purveying absolute truths. He presents a persuasive argument for “both/and” instead of “either/or.” He finds the metaphysical bases for egalitarianism and democracy in the scientific method and plays it off against the hierarchical structure of institutional religion. He states the more and less savory perspectives of conservatives and liberals, ponders benighted and enlightened selfishness, the uses and misuses of violence, the elusiveness of certainty in literature, the benefits (or not) of wine. Most readers will find argument with Weidhorn at some point–over the impossibility of socialism, perhaps, or whether “a person holding a completely singular idea, without a living or dead soulmate, is either insane or desperately insecure”–but the author offers a lively, thought-provoking journey.
An old-fashioned intellectual search for truth, “unwilling to settle for rumors, unexamined assumptions, urban myths, folk tales and tall tales, wish-fulfillment, flattery of self or tribe, propaganda, and just plain misunderstanding.”Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-40950-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Twenty professional philosophers tell how they combine intellectual rigor with religious commitment. Although most of the great philosophers have believed in God, argues Morris (Philosophy/Notre Dame; The Logic of God Incarnate, not reviewed), many Americans today reckon that religion and reason are diametrically opposed. With this collection of essays, Morris assembles a cross section of scholars who effectively challenge this assumption. In brief chapters, the philosophers touch on themes such as their upbringing, conversion or religious development, and the ideas and thinkers who have most influenced them (Immanuel Kant, William James, and C.S. Lewis are among the most often mentioned). The general tone, however, is more personal than scholarly. We are treated to insights into the connection between spiritual life and the love of learning, as well as discussions of more obvious philosophical problems such as the nature of objectivity and the rational grounds required for religious assent. Eleanore Stump offers a moving account of how confrontation with the problem of evil can cause us to seek, rather than reject, God. Peter van Inwagen questions the basic assumptions of the Enlightenment, which he believes continue to distort our view of religion. David Shatz speaks of the dual program of Torah and secular studies at New York's Yeshiva University and of the intense relationship between religion and study in Orthodox Judaism. Morris lets his authors speak for themselves, without attempting to draw together what has been said. Although he provides a broad spectrum of Christian viewpoints, some readers will regret the absence of Islamic and Buddhist perspectives and of any discussion of the classical syntheses of faith and reason, such as that of St. Thomas Aquinas. The honesty and humanity with which these controversial themes are treated make for attractive reading.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-19-508822-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1994
A leading critic of artificial intelligence research returns to the attack, attempting to lay the groundwork for an analysis of the true nature of intelligence. Building on his arguments in The Emperor's New Mind (not reviewed), Penrose (Mathematics/Oxford) begins by refuting the assertion that true intelligence can be attained—or even adequately simulated—by the strictly computational means to which current computers are ultimately limited. Much of his argument depends closely on the application of Gîdel's Undecidability Theorem to Turing machines—deep waters for laypeople, although the fundamentals of his argument are accessible to readers without sophisticated mathematical training. Having disposed of the central tenets of current AI research, Penrose then turns to an even more fundamental question: the actual foundations in modern physics (i.e., relativity and quantum theory) of the phenomenon of consciousness. Here much of his summary depends on fairly complex mathematical reasoning, although the key points are summarized for the general reader who has been willing to follow him so far. Penrose feels that a new physical synthesis, reconciling the paradoxes of quantum theory and bringing them into harmony with Einstein's gravitational theories, is ultimately necessary to explain the noncomputational elements of consciousness and intelligence. He speculates on the possible role of cellular structures called microtubules in creating a quantum phenomenon on a macroscopic scale within the brain, but grants that more research is needed to establish any connection between physical and mental phenomena. His conclusion steps back to a philosophical overview of the subject, paying homage to Plato, among others. A challenging examination of a central problem of modern philosophy, with no final answers but plenty of food for thought. (76 line drawings) (First printing of 50,000; $50,000 ad/promo)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-19-853978-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1994
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