Sales-limiting title but thorough scholarship
If, like me, you were persuaded by Carrier’s exhaustive scholarly treatment of the mythicist hypothesis he argued for in On the Historicity of Jesus, but need a shorter, condensed and more accessible summary of its arguments, this will do the job. It’s ironic, given that Carrier is at pains to promote his version of mythicism as credible and scholarly, compared to those of “crank” authors, that he (or was it his publisher?) chose a title that screams crankery. Don’t let the title put you off though, as this book’s claims are thoroughly and expertly argued.
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monnowman reviewed Jesus from Outer Space by Richard Carrier
Review of 'Jesus from Outer Space' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
monnowman reviewed A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor (Mainstream series)
Leigh Fermor walked from London to Budapest when he was 18. Sometimes called England's greatest …
Review of 'A Time of Gifts' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I'm glad I tackled this as an audiobook: the prose was so rich and fruity that to have read it conventionally might have induced that feeling one gets after an indulgent Christmas lunch when you struggle to down the Christmas pudding served with brandy butter. Indeed, as the events at the heart of the book occur over Christmas in snowy southern Germany, it makes good Christmas holiday listening, preferably in a comfy armchair, by an open fire with a large schnapps to hand.
monnowman rated The apologist: 3 stars
monnowman rated Letters from a Stoic: 4 stars
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca the Younger (The Penguin classics L210)
This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the ethical ideals of Stoicism—the wisdom of the self-possessed person immune to …
monnowman rated The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 3 stars
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction …
monnowman rated Food of Sichuan: 4 stars
monnowman rated Dawdling by the Danube: 3 stars
Dawdling by the Danube by Edward Enfield
'I had thought for some time that there must be something funny about Germany because, except for hard-drinking types at …
monnowman rated Summary of Shaun Bythell's Confessions of a Bookseller: 3 stars
monnowman rated Diary Of A Bookseller: 3 stars
monnowman rated Lincoln in the Bardo: 2 stars
monnowman rated Midlife: A Philosophical Guide: 3 stars
monnowman reviewed Seven Types of Atheism by John Gray
"For a generation now, public debate has been corroded by a shrill, narrow derision of …
Review of 'Seven Types of Atheism' on 'Goodreads'
As someone who has recently started identifying as an atheist, this book offered a useful critique of the various possible atheist stances. After all, it is fair enough to conclude that god(s) don't exist but the new non-believer has still to wrestle with philosophical questions around meaning, purpose, how to respond to evil (if "evil" even exists) and so on. A point Gray keeps making is that humanism, a positive alternative to nihilism for the putative atheist, makes the assumption that human progress is inevitable. To which I, as a humanist, would answer that we've got to try to make progress, otherwise we might as well return ourselves to the Stone Age.
This Audible audio recording cannot be recommended for its narrator who does a very bad job of pronouncing foreign names. Several times I found myself wincing and shouting the correct pronunciations at the car stereo. He also has …
As someone who has recently started identifying as an atheist, this book offered a useful critique of the various possible atheist stances. After all, it is fair enough to conclude that god(s) don't exist but the new non-believer has still to wrestle with philosophical questions around meaning, purpose, how to respond to evil (if "evil" even exists) and so on. A point Gray keeps making is that humanism, a positive alternative to nihilism for the putative atheist, makes the assumption that human progress is inevitable. To which I, as a humanist, would answer that we've got to try to make progress, otherwise we might as well return ourselves to the Stone Age.
This Audible audio recording cannot be recommended for its narrator who does a very bad job of pronouncing foreign names. Several times I found myself wincing and shouting the correct pronunciations at the car stereo. He also has a habit of using the same pattern of intonation in every sentence.
This is a book for atheists who would do well to take heed of its warnings that while they may be right that we live in a godless universe, building an ethical and rationally sound post-religious wordview is harder than they might expect.
