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Wisely structured and clearly written, God, Reason and Theistic Proofs will make an excellent resource for those looking for an introduction to the debate surrounding the existence of God, or for those seeking intellectual validation for their faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very fair-minded
Many years after I first read this book, I still think it is the best treatment of the subject I have seen. The author is a professor of philosophy, he is very fair-minded (he is a theist, from memory, but he does not allow that to sway his philosophical judgment), he presents the arguments in a very structured and thorough but also clear way (if it hadn't been clear, I as very much a layman, would not have understood it!) and it is easy to agree with his cautious conclusions. I have not read another book, by believer or non-believer, that I thought had all these qualities. I recommend it.

He covers a number of the classic arguments - ontological (which gets a fairer treatment than I would have given it!), cosmological, design, religious experience, moral, etc, plus he addresses interesting core issues such as religious realism, foundationalism (plus coherentism & pragmatism as alternatives) and the principle of sufficient reason, all in ways and at places where they are relevant to the main discussion and relatively easy to understand.

His conclusion? He thinks the "proofs" can show at least that theism is rational, and possibly more rational than alternatives, but he doesn't think any proof actually proves the existence of God. That is probably what we might expect, leaving the questions open for each of us to decide for ourselves.

The best introduction I have come across
I first came across the work of Stephen T Davis a couple of years ago reading his `Logic and the Nature of God' (published 1983). Whilst the target readership is clearly different (the first being professional academic and this the interested theology/philosophy student) the improvement in readability is immense. I would recommend this book to anyone undertaking an introductory Philosophy of Religion/Philosophical Theology course. The book would probably be difficult work for someone with no theology or philosophy background although certainly not impossible. One of the big advantages of this book is that the chapters can be read as stand alone introductions to the various theistic indicators (more commonly referred to as proofs).

The book begins after a brief outline of what is a theistic proof with the a priori ontological argument. In addition there are chapters on the Cosmological, Design, Pascalian wager and argument(s) from religious experience as well as some other more (historically) minor arguments. In my mind this is where Davis is most useful. Interspersed between these chapters the important topics of `Theistic Proofs and Religious Realism' and `Theistic Proofs and Foundationalism' are covered. Whilst as a reference work this is fine the arbitrary location of these chapters can make the book jump around somewhat for someone reading from cover to cover. For instance the chapter on foundationalism is placed after that on the Cosmological argument. However, the Cosmological argument is as much helped by a strong foundationalist epistemology as any other. I have no doubt that Davis would agree with this, however, the layout of the book does not make this clear. It would surely have made more sense to deal with these two topics prior to all the a posteroiri arguments. It is with this in mind that "God, Reason and Theistic Proofs" has been given three stars. However, as a first point of call (especially as preparatory reading) for Philosophy of Religion classes or research into the individual generic theistic indicators this book would receive five stars as it is an excellent resource in this area of natural theology.

An Adequate Look Into Theistic Proofs
I'm an atheist and I'm very interested in philosophy and religion.I purchased this book so that I would have a better idea how theists use arguments to bolster their faith.This book is satisfactory, although it could be much better.Stephen Davis, the author, sometimes writes unnecessarily complicated sentences which only serves to confuse the reader.For the most part, however, he is rather clear.He gives a rather in depth look into the most popular proofs for the existence of God and examines the objections to them.This book was an interesting read, but a basic philosophical background will probably be necessary in order for a person to fully understand the arguments which Davis examines.The only other complaint I have about the book is Davis's major (and unjustified) leaps of logic.He sometimes examines a theistic proof and then concludes that it proves the existence of God, but he fails to consider the most basic objections to these very proofs.It almost seems as if he is ignoring these objections.Otherwise, it was a fairly enjoyable read.

Decent. Not great, not terrible.
Davis offers a largely sympathetic overview of arguments for the existence of god and common objections to them. The book is good as far as it goes, but Davis has an unfortunate tendency to lean heavily on personal intuition when the issues become the most difficult, and hence the most interesting. This is disappointing, because Davis is obviously intelligent enough to have done much more. Had he sought more carefully to identify the reasons underlying his intuitions, the book would surely have been a five-star effort. I enjoyed the book, and do not at all regret having spent time reading it, but I hoped for much more.

very good introduction
This is a very good introduction to the issue (though not perfect in my opinion). It not only deals with many proofs but has also some metadiscussions about the idea of theistic proofs and their alternatives. ... Read more

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Confident and sure of herself, she started dating a man who destroyed her self-esteem. Unable to change him, she could either fight for him or leave. That''s when she landed in the open arms of a married man. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1872.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subtitle: By the Honorable Mr. Justice T. J. J. Loranger. First Letter. Translation; Original Published by: Printed at the "Morning -chronicle" office in 1884 in 91 pages; Subjects: British North America Act (1867); Canada; British North America Act, 1867; Constitutional history; British North America Act/ (1867); Law / Constitutional; Political Science / Constitutions; ... Read more

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This monumental work by German scholar Rainer Riesner examines both biblical and extra-biblical sources to establish the chronology of Paul's early ministry and also illumines our understanding of his work by portraying him in his cultural context. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A New Standard in Pauline Studies
Riesner's work is very helpful in the study of Pauline chronology.There are several reasons to buy this book:1) his clear survey of chronological constructs by other Pauline scholars, 2) his thorough bibliography, 3) his excellent treatment and background study of numerous events in Paul's early ministry, and 4) the clarity, thoroughness, and balance of his arguments.Riesner sets a new standard with this study, and it is very high.It ought to be utilized by all involved in Pauline studies.

A Must-Read for Seminarians!
Riesner contends (and rightly so) that the interpreter's view of the chronology of the early church will influence how the interpreter understands the theology of the early church. With this thought in mind,Riesner seeks to define, with as much supporting evidence as possible, theearly chronology of the church, which is essentially a chronology of theearly ministry of the Apostle Paul.

Riesner begins by surveyingcontemporary scholarship's contributions (and confusions) over thechronology of Paul's ministry. Two groups in scholarship emerge. One groupsuggests that Acts is essential to developing a correct chronology ofPaul's ministry. Acts is able to do so, since it is essentially accurate inhistorical details. A second group tries to do with Acts, since Acts (intheir view) is essential inaccurate concerning historical details. Riesnerpoints out that nearly everyone depends, at least at some point, upondetails in Acts.

Riesner recognizes a problem in the chronologiesproposed in the literature he surveys: often one or two `absolute dates'are given, and the rest of the chronological details follow from those fewestablished dates. In the next section Riesner seeks to go point-by-pointthrough a chronology of the early ministry of Paul, discussion the evidenceat each point for particular events in Paul's life and ministry. He is warynot to merely fit a date into a chronological scheme without providing goodsupport for that date independent of other chronological markers (ifpossible).

Riesner interacts with both conservative and non-conservativeliterature. The bibliography is massive (80 pages, with approximately 30sources per page!), and footnotes in the volume indicate that Riesner is,indeed, familiar with the literature. He acknowledges that Acts must beused as an historical source for reaching conclusions concerning achronology for Paul's ministry. As one example where he isn't afraid toreach a conclusion typically reserved for conservatives, Riesner acceptsthe South Galatian view for the destination of the letter to theGalatians.

In this review's opinion, Riesner has admirably accomplishedhis purpose. He has constructed a well-supported chronology of Paul's earlyministry. This work is only for the serious student or scholar-it is notlight reading! Riesner expects that the student knows Greek and otherlanguages, though the work can be read profitably by English-only students.This work is a must-read for New Testament professors and any seminarystudents doing work on the chronology of Paul's ministry. Without doubt,this book earns a five-star rating.

Glenn L. Weaver glweaver@mninter.netAdjunct Professor, Central Baptist Theological Seminary ... Read more

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Geoid and its Geophysical Interpretations explains how an accurate geoid can be constructed and used for a variety of applied and theoretical geophysical purposes. The book discusses existing techniques for geoid computation, recently developed mathematical and computational tools designed for applications, and various interpretations. Principles and results are well illustrated. This book will be an excellent reference for geodesists, geophysicists, geophysical prospectors, oceanographers, and researchers and students in geophysics and geodesy. ... Read more

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This eyewitness account of Gurdjieff's early teaching years in Russia and France, is written by two of his followers. This edition includes material based on the authors original Russian notes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An Intimate Portrait
The books starts from when Thomas de Hartmann met Gurdjieff in 1916 in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and ends in 1924 in France at du Prieure soon after the first voyage to America and Gurdjieff's near death accident. Thomas De Hartmann was an officer in the Imperial Guards and when he met Gurdjieff he was already a known composer. As the Second World War paved way to the October revolution the de Hartmann's, together with some of Gurdjieff's other followers travelled from Petrograd through Caucasus eventually to arrive in Constantinople in 1920.

Part of the contents are written by Olga de Hartmann, who later became Gurdjieff's long time secretary and took down notes of his books. She describes some of the 'special assignments' from her teacher.

'Our Life' appeals to the emotions rather than the intellect. If you are looking for ideas you may be disappointed. But there are many examples of Work in the book. Unlike Ouspensky who wrote about ideas from the same time in 'In Search of the Miraculous', Thomas de Hartmann describes many of the emotions he and his wife experienced in their 'escape to the West'.

Thomas de Hartmann's great achievement was to compose with Gurdjieff appr. 300 pieces of music - almost all of them for the Movements and Sacred Dances. Some of the late music he wrote down after Gurdjieff's death.

A wild ride thru postwar Russia on the coattails of a Guru
It's a pity this is out-of-print; it's a gem if you can find it.The De Hartmann's became acolytes of the later-to-be-world-famous guru Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff just prior to the First World War. Thomas De Hartmannwas an officer in the Imperial Guards, a position of some wealth andposition in Imperial Russia. As world war gave way to revolution the DeHartmann's, together with Gurdjieff's other followers, including the famousP.D. Ouspensky, fled from St. Petersburg to Turkey as civil war ebbed andflowed around them.

This is an off-hand adventure story told as part ofspiritual quest. The matter-of-fact tone belies the wild subject matter. The narrative is chiefly concerned with the mysterious Mr. Gurdjieff,author of such spiritual classics as 'All and Everything', 'Meetings withRemarkable Men', and 'Beelzebub's Tales To His Grandson'.Though Gurdjieffnever quite emerges fully this is part of the fascination of the story,which ends with his death at the Priory outside Paris after the SecondWorld War.

It has information coming from two members of the group
Coming the book from a couple of members of the Gurdjieff's group,and covering a 20 years period it has a lot of information.Being also incomplete and subjective it is of interest as a history of the good and bads moments spent with Gurdjieff. ... Read more

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`Wearing has written a superb and highly provocative book that does an excellent job of introducing students to theories of corporate governance and exposing complex fact situations in a clear and well-written manner' - The International Journal of Accounting

With in-depth analysis of nine different cases, several of which have influenced the codes and regulations of corporate behaviour in the UK and America, this book explores the relationship between governance practice and theory.

Each case gives readers the scope to analyze a typical situation, its outcomes, who the main actors were and how they behaved. The book underlines that there are sometimes conflicting views as to what `good' governance is. It will help students clarify their own ideas about why governance fails and what the possible solutions are. Helpful features include:

- Sound and complete coverage of related theory

- Chapter introductions

- A concluding chapter that draws together key strands of thinking

- Discussion questions

This book will be of interest to higher level undergraduates and MSc/MBA students taking courses in corporate governance or related subjects.

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This new commentary on the book of Exodus attempts to show how this Old Testament book is of continuing significance to readers today, explaining why the Exodus event is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the faith of believers in our age. ... Read more

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2 comic books ... Read more

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The Gray family has to overcome many heart aches and losses so Jim and Becky Gray can live at their retirement home in the piney woods of East Texas. This area was once the renowned Big Thicket from which came unusual tales and ghost stories. Jim has a new friend name Bill Hopper and he has lost his wife in a tragic accident. Together they find the answer to the question, Can you change the hands of time? ... Read more

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The book of Joel is one of the Old Testament prophetic books, but it also has a clear and close association with lament literature. Graham Ogden takes seriously the book's lament setting, exegeting it entirely form within that framework. / In his commentary on the book of Malachi, Richard Deutsch examines the religious, moral, and social aspects of the early postexilic Jewish community that the prophet was addressing in this brief book. ... Read more

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The Wonderful Story of Joshua Glover, escaped slave
The co-authors of Joshua Glover give a thorough explanation of the dangers of being a conductor on the underground railroad and the terror of a re-claimed slave. The unique situation of Joshua's rescue and his final escape to Canada made a good story, but the authors explored Joshua's life near Toronto, giving new details of a life in post Civil War Canada. The story read like an exciting novel, but better as it was a real life story. The scholarship was extensive but not obtrusive. I recommend it to all who like nineteenth century history. ... Read more