A thought-provoking, accessible philosophy book for armchair theorists.
An exacting meditation on human consciousness by engineer, innovator and writer Raspanti.
Raspanti’s first book, 1998’s The Virtual Universe: Philosophy, Physics and the Nature of Things, laid out a philosophy called Virtualism. He theorizes that we live in a “Virtual Universe” akin to the virtual reality developed by computer science. This universe, which includes our bodies, is the creation of a nebulously defined “Cosmic Mind” which extends into individual minds. The book expands on Raspanti’s earlier work, and takes into account new developments in the fields of computer science and web development. There are shades here of both the blockbuster movie The Matrix and Plato’s Forms, and the author pays homage to both. First, though, he gives readers a primer on the evolution of the theories of consciousness, surveying work from pioneers like Edmund Husserl, Immanuel Kant, Baruch Spinoza, Baron Gottfried von Leibnitz and John Locke. “What is offered,” writes Raspanti, “is only a trail, and not a highway.” Still, it’s enough to get the narrative rolling in the right direction. The author is skilled at distilling complex philosophies–Husserl’s is particularly knotty–into punchy prose. Paradoxically, he stumbles when it comes to his own theories. In six digressive chapters, Raspanti attempts to match Virtualism against established scientific theory, often to less than enlightening results. For instance, on the evolution of consciousness he writes, “I [can’t] see how consciousness could ever have emerged from any physical system, however highly complex.” The vast majority of evolutionary biologists would disagree–to them, consciousness is the byproduct of physical life on earth. Raspanti never fully engages that established theory, instead skirting around it and returning again to his “Cosmic Mind” and “Virtualism.” Yet the book remains engaging and surprisingly well paced, considering the sheer volume of jargon flying across the pages.
A thought-provoking, accessible philosophy book for armchair theorists.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4196-5510-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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