Stephen S. (oneday) reviewed on
The author approaches the subject from a philosophical view. No suprise, as he is one. (Dawkin's approaches from science background, Hitchens from a literary background.)
My philosophy background is not as strong as I'd like, so I found it to be a bit above me sometimes.
I was a little annoyed at the author for failing to see the dangers, in these days of WMD's, that religions pose to our species survival. He seems to want to get along with everyone, failing to see any dark consequences. Still, there were quite a few gems of thought here.
In the last part, he finally addresses spirituality. I must say that I'm not entirely convinced in his mysticism. I believe that extreme mystical experiences may be tricks of the mind. Or flaws, or quirks, if you will. Still, I admit to having some of his listed mystical experiences, so I'm open to exploring this further. I just wonder what the modern brain sciences and or modern psychology have to say about these experiences. It would have been nice if the author delved into that.
All in all, I think this is a book that I'll have to reread. Maybe give it a couple years.
My philosophy background is not as strong as I'd like, so I found it to be a bit above me sometimes.
I was a little annoyed at the author for failing to see the dangers, in these days of WMD's, that religions pose to our species survival. He seems to want to get along with everyone, failing to see any dark consequences. Still, there were quite a few gems of thought here.
In the last part, he finally addresses spirituality. I must say that I'm not entirely convinced in his mysticism. I believe that extreme mystical experiences may be tricks of the mind. Or flaws, or quirks, if you will. Still, I admit to having some of his listed mystical experiences, so I'm open to exploring this further. I just wonder what the modern brain sciences and or modern psychology have to say about these experiences. It would have been nice if the author delved into that.
All in all, I think this is a book that I'll have to reread. Maybe give it a couple years.
