The Fifty Miracle Principles of 'A Course in Miracles' Review

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The Fifty Miracle Principles of 'A Course in Miracles' ReviewAlthough I have been aware of A Course In Miracles for several years, I still consider myself a beginner. I found this book very helpful in its presentation, that being explaining the principles, with questions answered as they come up. I have always been attracted to the Courses' message, but would go in and out of reading it, because it would bring up fear in me. This book explained for me where that fear comes from, and for this reason alone I now want to continue to make A Course In Miracles my way of living in this world.The Fifty Miracle Principles of 'A Course in Miracles' Overview

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Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism Review

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Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism ReviewRichard Carrier is a graduate student of history (M.Phil Columbia) and a prolific essayist, publishing primarily on the well-known secular website infidels.org. In this book he surveys all that he has come to know and believe, and how he came to know or believe it. Reading it is like being given a guided tour, by a genial and charming host, through a large and well-furnished mansion of the mind.
I purchased "Sense & Goodness Without God" because of an interest in secular ethics. I was disappointed on that account to find that Carrier's discussion of morality -- although it is interesting and enlightening -- occupies only a small part of the book. The many other topics covered justified my purchase, but in order to keep others from being mislead by the title, here is a key quote from the introduction:
"This book surveys my philosophy of life, my 'worldview' ... I build and defend a complete worldview by covering every fundamental subject -- from knowledge to art, from metaphysics to morality, from theology to politics."
That Carrier even owns a complete, personal worldview makes him a rare bird. He rightly faults most of us for spending next to no time thinking through what we know and believe; and for being too willing to settle for the "factory-made" philosophies dispensed under the name of Religion, instead of taking the time to understand the big ideas for ourselves. In effect, this book is his challenge to his contemporaries: agree with me or not, he seems to say, these are topics you need to think through on your own -- and here is how to do it.
You might wonder if any writer can do justice to such a smorgasbord of ideas. Carrier does very well; he is exceptionally well-read, has thought hard on these issues, and clearly explains both the context and his own position on each point. Just the same, this is a survey, and there is much, much more to be said and thought about any of the topics he covers.
Also, Carrier does what so many other secular writers do: spends many, many paragraphs refuting religious ideas and rebutting the Christian philosophers who would deny legitimacy to his positions. The section on Morality, for example, is almost entirely cast as a point-by-point refutation of positions taken by Christian apologist J.P. Moreland. These one-sided debates eat up pages that I would far rather have seen devoted to more detailed exposition of Carrier's own thoughts. Those thoughts are generally sane, well-grounded, generous and reasonable, sometimes surprising, and always worth spending time with.Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism Overview

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The Social Construction of What? Review

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The Social Construction of What ReviewThe Social Construction of What? marks Ian Hacking's first book-length foray into the pitched battle over the nature and status of the natural, medical and social sciences. It's a truly stunning work: elegant, analytical, insightful. It also represents a useful introduction to the various themes which characterise the collected work of arguably the greatest living philosopher of the Western world.
For the most part I endorse the thoughtful review sent in by the reader from London. I want to make a gentle amendment to her/his careful characterisation of the book. I'm not so sure that Hacking is 'Clearly on the side of the constructionists'. To put it thus is, of course, a useful corrective to the absurd implications of Daniel Johnson's review of this book in the New York Times Book Review. There Johnson tries to portray Hacking as sharing Johnson's own contempt for social constructionists, which Hacking clearly does not. But I see Hacking as doing something more than simply siding with one group against the other.
In this book Hacking carefully disentangles the various arguments being made by both parties in the culture/science 'wars'. Unlike those who indulge in knee-jerk scepticism about constructionism (a.k.a., many believe, 'postmodernism'), he finds much of value in the consciousness-raising motivations of social constructionists. He also applauds their attention to historical detail and their treatment of intellectual/theoretical pursuits like the natural and social sciences as ongoing social activities, with important, often unintended effects on our everyday lives. On the other hand, Hacking suspects that much of the current vogue for the language of social construction is simply a case of bandwagon-jumping, and explicitly states that he has seldom found that language useful in his own work. He does not hesitate to expose certain claims made by both sides as 'tomfoolery', but is careful in so doing to point out that there is an important kernel of insight in the reasoning of thinkers as starkly at odds as Steven Weinberg and Bruno Latour. As Hacking makes clear in his chapter on the natural sciences, there are important intuitions buried in the metaphysical convictions of scientists and constructionists. When it comes down to putting his money where his mouth is, Hacking's self-evaluation puts his own commitments squarely in the middle. He scores himself a 2, 3 and 4 out of 5 on the three 'sticking-points' that are at the heart of the disagreement over social construction in the sciences.
But is Hacking just sitting on the fence? I don't think so; in fact, I think he offers us a third way, so to speak. You get a taste of this third way in his discussions of 'interactive kinds', 'forms of knowledge', 'styles of reasoning', 'self-vindication', 'making up people', 'looping effects', and other unfamiliar concepts. These make up part of Hacking's own attempt to grapple with human knowledge, and they are subsumed by neither social constructionism nor mainstream analytic philosophy -- which isn't to say he hasn't drawn a lot from both.
A word to the prospective reader: be careful when interpreting Ian Hacking. His clear and polished prose can be deceptive. His own views are so sophisticated and fine-grained that it is easy to pigeon-hole him into irrelevant categories. But don't let that stop you from reading him yourself -- with some patience, you will find your efforts well rewarded.The Social Construction of What Overview

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Glossary of Terms from 'A Course in Miracles': Nearly 200 Definitions to Help You Take an Active Role in Your Study of the Course Review

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Glossary of Terms from 'A Course in Miracles': Nearly 200 Definitions to Help You Take an Active Role in Your Study of the Course ReviewThis is an excellent little glossary for some of the Course's more difficult terms and phrases. And let's face it, there are a bunch of them. You can't learn what you can't understand.
Robert Perry is one of the keenest minds focused on ACIM today. Just as importantly, he's one of the clearest writers. If you're already on the path of A Course in Miracles, or thinking of starting down it, invest in this companion book for the sake of clarity and gentle, lucid guidance.
Perry offers you definitions of not just what a term means within the teaching of the Course, but also what it means historically, conventionally and in Christianity. There's just no confusion; I still refer to it often.
The Course is a map to inner peace and fulfillment, to the actual experience of God here and now in day to day life. This key to that map is offered by someone who has been there before you and actually knows the Way.
As I've said in other reviews, my experience with Circle Publishing's books has been overwhelmingly positive. Their Workbook Commentaries are excellent and Path of Light is a great support book for students, would-be students and the simply curious. The value-per-dollar spent could hardly be tilted more in your favor.
Peace to you.Glossary of Terms from 'A Course in Miracles': Nearly 200 Definitions to Help You Take an Active Role in Your Study of the Course Overview

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