Here's the second entry in my reviews in short.
The Dawkins Delusion? by Alister McGrath
All you really need to know about this book is that the first sentence claims that according to Dawkins, "God is a delusion--a 'psychotic delinquent' invented by bad, deluded people." Following the footnote, I found this sentence from Dawkins' book: "Compared with the Old Testament's psychotic delinquent, the deist God of the eighteenth century Enlightenment is an altogether grander being..." In other words, Dawkins is saying that God need not be conceived of as a psychotic delinquent, almost the exact opposite of the view McGrath attributes to him. I couldn't help but wonder: would it have killed McGrath to wait until the second sentence before misrepresenting Dawkins' views? Incidentally, McGrath never addressed the Old Testament passages that provoked Dawkins' characterization, such as the divine orders to massacre children. Such tactics are par for the course in McGrath's book. To recount all the details would be boring. At the book's halfway point, I was tempted to give this book five stars under the "so bad it's good" rationale, but by the end McGrath has worn out his welcome--and the book is only 100 pages.
One Star
Deconstructing Jesus by Robert M. Price
Somewhat muddled attempt to call in to question our ability to know anything about the historical Jesus. Prominent in it is an inconsistent agnosticism, which applies what looks like principled caution to Jesus' biography, but then throws caution to the wind in confident reconstructions of the history of early Christianity.
Two Stars
Incredible Shrinking Son of Man by Robert M. Price
Like Price's previous book, Deconstructing Jesus, The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man seeks to cast doubt on the idea of a historical Jesus. Lacks big-picture analysis, is too quick to move from "possibly this did not happen" to "this did not happen," and the section on re-dating the gospels is particularly sloppy.
Two Stars
The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til
An attempt by a Calvinist theologian to argue against rational scrutiny of Christianity. To an extent it's one of those projects that's worth observing to watch it fail, but the presentation is muddled and all the interesting bits could have been condensed down into a short article.
Two Stars
Introduction to Computer Systems by Yale N. Patt and Sanjay J. Patel
I've never taken a CS course in my life. This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I read it because I've long been annoyed by my lack of understanding of how computers worked. I read through it straight, not taking the time to really master the material, but I still got the jist of it. Not for everyone, but for me it was a must-read.
Five Stars
Rousseau's Dog by David Edmonds and John Eidinow
Enjoyable telling of the story of conflict between two of the best-known philosophers of the Enlightenment.
Four Stars
The History of Skepticism from Erasmus to Spinoza by Richard H. Popkin
Provides historical context for philosophical debates that can often seem extremely arcane; very valuable.
Four Stars
1 comment:
Sadly, I have to agree with you on Robert Price's books. I had anticipated them to be just as readable and well-reasoned as the author showed himself to be in his internet radio program and monthly essays. The books are a hodgepodge of the most extreme speculations in biblical studies with very little justification for accepting these radical ideas. His dating of the gospels goes too far, even for Jesus mythicists (Ellegard's and Wells' are much closer to the mainstream dates).
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