A lifelong unbeliever finds no reason to change his mind. Are there any logical reasons to believe in God? Mathematician and bestselling author John Allen Paulos thinks not. In Irreligion he presents the case for his own worldview, organizing his book into twelve chapters that refute the twelve arguments most often put forward for believing in God's existence. The latter arguments, Paulos relates in his characteristically lighthearted style, "range from what might be called golden oldies to those with a more contemporary beat. On the playlist are the first-cause argument, the argument from design, the ontological argument, arguments from faith and biblical codes, the argument from the anthropic principle, the moral universality argument, and others." Interspersed among his twelve counterarguments are remarks on a variety of irreligious themes, ranging from the nature of miracles and creationist probability to cognitive illusions and prudential wagers. Special attention is paid to topics, arguments, and questions that spring from his incredulity "not only about religion but also about others' credulity."
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"Succinct. Deftly--and with humor--answers questions related to the discussion of god and atheism. While he misses some opportunities (his background is in mathematics, as the title says, rather than in philosophy), he takes this subject on in a way no other author has yet done. This is a quick, interesting, fun and informative read. His own made-up religion (I won't give any details away...) may have many converts if this book ever makes it onto the larger scene." — Michael (4 out of 5 stars)
"Succinct. Deftly--and with humor--answers questions related to the discussion of god and atheism. While he misses some opportunities (his background is in mathematics, as the title says, rather than in philosophy), he takes this subject on in a way no other author has yet done. This is a quick, interesting, fun and informative read. His own made-up religion (I won't give any details away...) may have many converts if this book ever makes it onto the larger scene."
Paulos is truly funny.... This little book...provides both atheists and religious apologists some digestible food for thought.
" Paulos clearly lays out the old arguments and equally clearly tears them apart. Finally, I've got a good description of the arguments. "
" So much funnier than I ever would have expected. "
" An amusing little book, much less confrontational than many other current pro-atheist books these days, but perhaps more devastating, with clearly stated and logical arguments with a good dose of humor and common sense. It's not that any of his deconstructions of various pro-god arguments are new, so much as given more clearly and pleasantly than anywhere else I've seen "
" A brief summary of things have been brought up a long time ago. All good, but nothing new. "
" I liked the mathmatical angle in these arguments. "
" Short, light on the actual math, and easy to read... very well explained reasoning. "
" Good ideas... but the writing is tedious! "
" Well organized and argued. "
" This is a fun take on debunking the arguments for the existence of God from a mathematician's point of view. This a short book and a fairly easy read. "
" Unworthy of this brilliant man. Warmed-over, watered-down newspaper columns. Lazy, unresearched, unwitty, un-incisive, flat. Snark diluted as extravagantly as any homeopathic muck. Give him a do-over. "
" A good book. Great arguments. I would encourage anybody to read this with an open mind. "
" overpriced , worth a read "
" It's me, over here in the choir robes. Nothing in this book I didn't already embrace, I mean. The geeky mathematical angle was a huge bonus. I found this audio book fun, funny and comforting. If you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you like. And I do. "
" Nothing Earth-shattering here. Very casual writing style. Accessible, but not terribly deep (especially considering the topic). "
" Maybe I've read too many books about God's non-existence, but this book had nothing new to offer beyond the very basic arguments for existence followed by the standard rebuttals. "
" A less than original but concise and approachable summary of rebuttals to arguments for the existence of god. Read my full review at my book review blog, Em and Emm Expound on Exposition. "
" His heart is in the right place, I guess, but I thought some of his rebuttals weren't as rigorous as I had hoped. I prefer Flew's "Introduction to Western Philosophy" for rebuttals of the same proofs. "
" Short and to the point. Paulos doesn't say much that Hitchens and Dawkins haven't already, but the way he play with numbers to solidify his position is entertaining. "
John Allen Paulos is an author, popular public speaker, and monthly columnist for ABCNews.com and the Guardian (London). A professor of math at Temple University in Philadelphia, he earned his PhD in the subject from the University of Wisconsin. His books include the New York Times bestseller Innumeracy; A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper; Once upon a Number, a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 1998; and A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market. He has also written scholarly papers on probability, logic, and the philosophy of science as well as book reviews and articles in such publications as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Nation, Discover, the American Scholar, and the London Review of Books.
Dick Hill, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, is one of the most awarded narrators in the business, having earned several Audie Awards and thirty-four AudioFile Earphones Awards. In addition to narrating, he has both acted in and written for the theater.
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