fredmonster

Proselytising the great American God

Revisado: 05-17-19

After lecture 4 I returned the recording and exchanged. The Greeks and Romans really Protomonotheists? And America the only inheritor of Rome’s legacy ... all enough without the “pentametric” delivery of a preacher

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Potted history of philosophy with value judgements

Revisado: 01-12-18

Whilst the material was excellent on the whole, I found lecture 60 entirely unconvincing and not worthy of its title, ostensibly about philosophy of religion but undisguised in its support of the existence of god with weak arguments that beg the question at their best and are otherwise straw man in their construction. It would have bee

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Comprehensively brilliant

Revisado: 12-22-12

The most useful explanation of our problems processing decisions in a rational way. Not a self help book but a text allowing insight and reflection on an individual and organisational basis. Unifies or compliments many of the other books I have read; Dawkins, Haidt, Pinker, Harris, Dennet and Robert Wright. Essential to download PDF file and stop the car if referring to it.

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Provocative, enlightening, sobre

Revisado: 09-24-12

If you could sum up The Moral Animal in three words, what would they be?

Altruism,sexism explained

What other book might you compare The Moral Animal to and why?

Dawkins' selfish gene and blind watchmaker explore similar themes but the 3 books complement each other. Whilst Dawkins usually deigns to comment on morality, Wright is happy to give us his view. The first section on gender differences superficially sounds chauvinistic and dated until we remind ourselves of the "blindness" of natural selection. The one point Dawkins made about being able to raise ourselves above our evolutionary tendencies is put into doubt in this book as we struggle with our concept of free will. This is excellent reading for an explanation of reciprocal altruism, kin selection and non zero sum games.

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Technomorphistic bacteria not intelligent design

Revisado: 01-12-12

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Compulsory reading to understand the false argument for intelligent design. Shapiro technomorphises bacteria and intracellular processes endowing them with cognisance, a purely subjective concept irrelevant to process of evolution.

What could James A. Shapiro have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Clarity about processes with more lay explanations in addition to the wealth of data provided. Evidence for animal germ cell horizontal transmission of heritable genetic factors or discussion why there is a lack of such

What three words best describe Ira Rosenberg’s voice?

Competent, unflagging, unemotional

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Astonishing for 1955

Revisado: 11-29-10

Beautifully read by Jeremy Irons, Humbert is endearing despite his monstrosity, happily is still as confronting if not more now than when it was written

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A sort of accidental spy

Revisado: 07-19-10

Masterfully read by Jayston, brilliant ending that would never be the same in a movie version.

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Jayston is Guiness

Revisado: 06-13-10

The uncanny voice of Alec Guiness as Smiley is brilliantly performed by Michael Jayston you are buying a performance not a book

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