A mind-expanding read.
A well-researched look at the evolution of the cosmos and our place within it.
According to VandeCarr, science and faith are not incompatible. Rather, he asserts, much of what we consider scientific fact are things that we really accept on faith. As much as facts may be observable or provable, they can never be known to be absolutely true at all times. He cites mathematician Kurt Gödel’s discovery, published in 1931, that the infallibility of simple arithmetic cannot be proven–i.e., we can’t be positively certain that two plus three will always equal five. Similarly, our individual realities are constructed of the facts we believe to be true, and no one, at this time at least, can definitively read or know the individual reality of anyone else. VandeCarr argues that the evolution of the cosmos gave rise to life and human consciousness, both of which are products of the electromagnetic field, or EMF, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe. Some thinkers predict that, with the rate at which our technological capabilities are accelerating, we are not far from the threshold of a technological singularity, after which life on earth and what it means to be human will be radically different. VandeCarr proposes that, since physical matter can’t travel at light speed, intelligence (or mind, as he calls it) will, as a feature of the EMF, evolve to be able to influence and ultimately saturate the universe, and constitute what many conceive of as God. As far out as some of these assertions might seem, they are deeply grounded in current scientific thought about intelligence, quantum mechanics, probability and the origins of the universe. VandeCarr also presents these theories in a way that is readily accessible to the general reader, citing many sources and suggestions for further reading. The dialogue with a skeptical unnamed interlocutor that concludes the book further illuminates and clarifies the author’s arguments.
A mind-expanding read.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4196-7864-6
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
