tubesocksandals

tubesocksandals

  • Montreal, Qu, Canada
  • member since Friday, August 3 2007

Reviews

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  • Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
    • Rated 4 stars

    This book is really written with the believer in mind, so for me, much of it was preaching to the choir. Dennett is an amazing writer and thinker, I would recommend him to anyone, although I do think that he over-shoots his target audience in this book. Breaking the Spell uses a lot of academic lingo and references some of his earlier work and terms (the 'intentional stance', etc.), and I feel that readers who haven't read his earlier books might not get what he's talking about, or find it a difficult read. It's not to say that all believers are uneducated, but someone really needs to take what Dennett is saying and boil it down for the masses - the folks who watch church T.V.. Although, I suspect getting those folks to read a book would be an achievement on its own.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Sunday, August 10 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • A Man Without a Country
    • Rated 5 stars

    Vonnegut was an amazing author, fantastic humanitarian and brilliant human being. Read this book on a flight home and only wished it was longer (the book, not the flight). Mr Vonnegut, thanks for the words and a life well lived. I'm sure he's up in heaven looking down on us now... :-)

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Tuesday, June 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
    • Rated 5 stars

    Fantastic book, Sam Harris is great. I didn't find it 'blunt' or 'hard hitting' at all, but then again, I don't really mind people challenging my ideas and beliefs. I think this is a book that most open-minded religious people can read without getting offended or upset - although 'open-minded' and 'religious' don't often go hand in hand, so I guess that's a small group.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Tuesday, June 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking
    • Rated 4 stars

    I thought this book was really great. My only complaint was that it tended to overstate some points. This might be a personal preference of mine, but I like to read quickly, absorb the point and move on. Several times I felt like saying "ok, I get it, next point!".

    This book is well worth reading, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone interested in critical thinking.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Tuesday, June 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Assault on Reason
    • Rated 1 stars

    Ok, let me start by stating my bias: I like Al Gore. I liked 'The Inconvenient Truth' a lot and even bought a copy. I quite enjoyed the first chapter, however, I've only managed to get to chapter 3 of this book before I decided I've had enough.

    This book is written by someone who clearly wants to stay in the political arena. He makes huge efforts to avoid offending people's backward sensibilities and beliefs to a point where he is contradictory and nonsensical.

    For the entire second chapter, Gore goes through great pains to defend 'faith' against reason to a point where it's painfully repetitive and absurd. Ironically, this makes this chapter an assault on reason.

    At another point in the third chapter, he questions if George W. Bush is stupid and says 'President Bush is plenty smart.'.

    Ok, first point: any serious social/political book worth reading does not contain the phrase 'is plenty smart.'. Secondly, I'm sorry, but there is more than enough evidence to show the contrary, and that Bush, if not a complete idiot puppet, is certainly not firing with all cylinders.

    I might try to finish reading this book later, but perhaps after a lobotomy or two.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Wednesday, October 31 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • Kinds of Minds (Science Masters)
    • Rated 5 stars

    This book was awesome, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is curious about questions like 'What is consiousness?' 'What is thinking?' 'How and where do *I* exist?'. I have this as an audiobook, read by Dennett himself, but will definitely be buying a paperback copy.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Wednesday, October 31 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
    • Rated 5 stars

    I fully expected this book to be an 'also ran' in a recent salvo of athiest books. I was very pleasantly surprised, and I found it an excellent read. Hitchens is a brilliant writer (as I've know through his other writings and articles) and can write the most stinging, witty and intelligent criticism so economical in use of words that would make any minimalist proud. Even if you've read most of the latest atheist books out there, this one is definitely worth adding.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Sunday, August 12 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • Still Life with Woodpecker
    • Rated 5 stars

    One of the funniest books I've ever read. I love Tom Robbins' use of language and sense of humour.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Sunday, August 12 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • Letter to a Christian Nation
    • Rated 5 stars

    I really like Sam Harris because his points are very well delivered and in a way that many religious people can understand - even if they don't agree.

    tubesocksandals wrote this review Friday, August 3 2007. ( reply | permalink )


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