A familiar, depthless characterization of an ageless argument.
An argument for the final triumph of scientific reason over religious faith for the sake of world peace.
Johnson (Had Enough of God Yet?, 2017, etc.) sees the world as imperiled by a clash of conflicting religions, locked in a contest for world domination, threatening nuclear war. These competing religions are incapable of diplomatically settling their claims to govern humanity—the author doubtfully reflects on the fruitfulness of interfaith dialogue—because each is fundamentally irrational. Science, however, as the ultimate paragon of human reason and solely based on rigorous empirical observation, may be the route forward. The only hope for global harmony, therefore, rests in the substitution of scientific rationality for religion. Johnson furnishes accounts of the origins of religion, the idea of God, and consciousness that, despite his celebration of rational rigor, seem remarkably speculative: Historically, religion was born from a combination of fear and superstition, and the idea of God is an “artifactof consciousness” conjured by man. And our sense of selfhood is an evolutionary quirk of our neurophysiology, a hazy “hologram” of personal identity. Consciousness as well is tidily explained in terms of the physical operations of the brain. Johnson devotes separate chapters to the Mormon Church and Islam. He argues that faith and reason are mutually exclusive, the latter a superior alternative to the former. Johnson has a doctorate in chemistry and writes lucidly about the core principles that animate scientific experimentation. Also, he’s surely right that a deep and searching reflection on the tension between science and faith has never been more needful. However, he supplies shopworn arguments that are more polemical than thoughtful and reduces complex philosophical debates to matters of childlike common sense. For example, he solves the rich historical debate about the possibility of an afterlife with a declaration: “Imagine that a more scientific or rational death narrative came about from simple observation—at the time of death, the person stopped breathing. That’s it—end of sentence, end of life!”
A familiar, depthless characterization of an ageless argument.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4502-7637-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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