Category Archives: Book Notes

Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION, post 3

(Houghton Mifflin, Oct. 2006, 406pp, including 26pp of appendix, books cited, notes, and index) (Post 1; Post 2) One chapter for today. This is about where religion came from and what use it is. * Ch 5, The Roots of … Continue reading

Posted in Atheism, Book Notes, Human Nature, Religion | Comments Off on Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION, post 3

Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION, post 2

(Houghton Mifflin, Oct. 2006, 406pp, including 26pp of appendix, books cited, notes, and index) (Post 1) Here are the first four chapters (out of ten), which deal with the arguments for and against the existence of God, summarized in 3700 … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Morality, Religion | Comments Off on Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION, post 2

Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION, post 1

(Houghton Mifflin, Oct. 2006, 406pp, including 26pp of appendix, books cited, notes, and index) Of the four books published in the mid-2000s by the so-called “new atheists,” this one by Richard Dawkins was the most blunt and least conciliatory; it … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION, post 1

Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 5 (conclusion)

Subtitled “Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” With second subtitle “Why the Meaningful Life is Closer than You Think” (Basic Books, 2006, xiii + 297pp, including 54pp acknowledgements, notes, references, and index. Hardcover with no dust jacket.) (Post 1, Post … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Human Nature, Meaning, Morality, Philosophy, Psychology | Comments Off on Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 5 (conclusion)

Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 4

Subtitled “Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” With second subtitle “Why the Meaningful Life is Closer than You Think” (Basic Books, 2006, xiii + 297pp, including 54pp acknowledgements, notes, references, and index. Hardcover with no dust jacket.) (Post 1, Post … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Human Nature, Meaning, Morality, Psychology | Comments Off on Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 4

Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 3

Subtitled “Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” With second subtitle “Why the Meaningful Life is Closer than You Think” (Basic Books, 2006, xiii + 297pp, including 54pp acknowledgements, notes, references, and index. Hardcover with no dust jacket.) (Post 1, Post … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Human Nature, Meaning, Morality | Comments Off on Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 3

Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 2

Subtitled “Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” With second subtitle “Why the Meaningful Life is Closer than You Think” (Basic Books, 2006, xiii + 297pp, including 54pp acknowledgements, notes, references, and index. Hardcover with no dust jacket.) (Post 1) Once … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Human Nature, Morality, Psychology | Comments Off on Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 2

Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 1

Subtitled “Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” With second subtitle “Why the Meaningful Life is Closer than You Think” (Basic Books, 2006, xiii + 297pp, including 54pp acknowledgements, notes, references, and index. Hardcover with no dust jacket.) Here is a … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Meaning, Morality, Psychology | Comments Off on Jonathan Haidt, THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS, post 1

Sam Harris: THE MORAL LANDSCAPE

Subtitled “How Science Can Determine Human Values” (Free Press, Oct. 2010, 291pp, including 100pp of acknowledgements, notes, references, and index) Sam Harris came to fame in the years after 9/11 for writing a critique of religion called THE END OF … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Morality, Religion | Comments Off on Sam Harris: THE MORAL LANDSCAPE

Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 5 and last

Subtitled “Why Science and Religion are Incompatible” (Viking, May 2015, xxii + 311pp, including 46pp of acknowledgements, notes, references,and index) (Earlier: post 1; post 2; post 3; post 4) Comments first this time: The final chapter of this book asks, … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 5 and last