In a brilliantly controversial polemic, Johnson (Law/Univ. of Calif., Berkeley) fires an intellectual broadside against what he sees as the marginalization of theism in public life and explores its implications for society and religion. According to Johnson, the established philosophy of the US is now what he calls ``Naturalism,'' a highly reductionist view that the world exhibits no intelligent design and that, except in the minds of believers, God does not really exist. Johnson holds that this establishment is essentially religious, in the sense that its metaphysical mindset not only permeates the world of science but also guides society in its ultimate values and decisions. He highlights the irony that this view is actually less tolerant than its predecessor since, in a new form of excommunication (intellectual marginalization), theistic dissenters are a priori considered irrational and extremist. As for the legal system, he claims, the shift away from objective natural law toward legal rights and interests has led to muddled and purely pragmatic judgments. For example, although abortion is legal, a mugger who caused a miscarriage was found guilty of murder in a 1994 California Supreme Court decision. Johnson argues that such decisions are not based on principle (such as the state's interest in protecting life) but, in this case, simply on the personal ``interest'' of the mother; since she did not choose to exercise her right of privacy by having an abortion, the fetus's killing was considered murder. Johnson's analysis is based on an in-depth study of the work of Stephen Hawking, Francis Crick, Stephen Jay Gould, and Richard Rorty, among others. He describes his own position as ``theistic realism,'' concluding with a call for all parties to engage fearlessly in rational dialogue and for American Christians to abandon their tendency to separate faith from reason. Well argued and astute, this critical work makes an exciting contribution to contemporary scientific and cultural debate.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8308-1610-0
Page Count: 238
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1995
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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