Religions > Atheism > try your library: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Paperback)
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Kurt Gavin" |
| Date: |
21 Oct 2006 11:48:19 AM |
| Object: |
try your library: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Paperback) |
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Paperback)
a.. Paperback: 224 pages
a.. Publisher: W. W. Norton; Reprint edition (October 10, 2005)
a.. Language: English
a.. ISBN: 0393327655
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sam Harris cranks out blunt, hard-hitting chapters to make his case for why
faith itself is the most dangerous element of modern life. And if the
devil's in the details, then you'll find Satan waiting at the back of the
book in the very substantial notes section where Harris saves his more
esoteric discussions to avoid sidetracking the urgency of his message.
Interestingly, Harris is not just focused on debunking religious faith,
though he makes his compelling arguments with verve and intellectual
clarity. The End of Faith is also a bit of a philosophical Swiss Army knife.
Once he has presented his arguments on why, in an age of Weapons of Mass
Destruction, belief is now a hazard of great proportions, he focuses on
proposing alternate approaches to the mysteries of life. Harris recognizes
the truth of the human condition, that we fear death, and we often crave
"something more" we cannot easily define, and which is not met by
accumulating more material possessions. But by attempting to provide the
cure for the ills it defines, the book bites off a bit more than it can
comfortably chew in its modest page count (however the rich Bibliography
provides more than enough background for an intrigued reader to follow up
for months on any particular strand of the author' musings.)
Harris' heart is not as much in the latter chapters, though, but in
presenting his main premise. Simply stated, any belief system that speaks
with assurance about the hereafter has the potential to place far less value
on the here and now. And thus the corollary -- when death is simply a door
translating us from one existence to another, it loses its sting and
finality. Harris pointedly asks us to consider that those who do not fear
death for themselves, and who also revere ancient scriptures instructing
them to mete it out generously to others, may soon have these weapons in
their own hands. If thoughts along the same line haunt you, this is your
book.--Ed Dobeas --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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