Skeptics Books

I recently finished a book about parapsychology myself, and I had planned to have a chapter at the end, addressing the fact the the results of the experiments I had written about were never generally accepted (at least not publicly). I quickly realized that the subject was a book in itself, and not a chapter. There isn't one reason, there are many reasons, and a lot of misinformation and rumor that has been repeated decade after decade that needed to be dispelled.

I read this book and was so happy because now I no longer had to figure out how to accomplish that, Chris Carter already has. He has done an excellent job of addressing every rumor and mistaken assumption one by one and making it accessible to the non-scientist. It's an interesting subject. As a non-scientist, and someone looking from the outside in, I had always assumed scientists were so rational. But of course they're human, aren't they? Carter's book is must read. Especially for open-minded scientists.

While writing on a book on yoga psychology, which included a section providing an overview of parapsychology research, I spent a considerable amount of time going through the skeptical literature. I had found Dean Radin's "Field Guide to Skeptics" particularly helpful. But I've never found anything as comprehensive and incisive as Chris Carter's "Parapsychology and the Skeptics."

For those sitting on the fence, Carter marshals a massive amount of evidence showing - for those willing to consider psi research with an open mind - that there is no doubt that psi phenomena have been found in laboratory experiments, and that such experiments have been successfully replicated.

Particularly helpful is the way Carter shows how skeptics misrepresent parapsychological research. Have you at times wondered, if parapsychological research is valid, why nobody has taken up the so-called "Million Dollar Challenge" of the "Amazing Randi"? I was quite surprised to discover in Carter's section on Randi that the "amazing" magician Mr. Randi set it up so he would never have to pay out. Carter quotes Randi as saying, in regard to the challenge, "I always have an out". You will find many other quite intriguing examples of the skeptics' tactics in Carter's book.

Despite some of these at times shocking revelations, Carter maintains an admirable clarity of mind, providing a fair, balanced treatment. Particularly helpful is his overview of quantum physics and its relevance to parapsychological theory. He does not make the mistake (as unfortunately was done by several scientists in "What the Bleep") of claiming that the findings of quantum physics "prove" psi phenomena, simply that they more flexibly allow for the possibility of telepathy, psychokinesis, etc than classical physics.

Finally, showing again his sympathy toward the skeptics he criticizes, Carter helps us to understand the motivation of the various skeptics. Given their wrong assumption that psi "violates" the laws of nature, it is understandable that they might go overboard in their misguided attempt to "protect" science from psi. Together with B. Alan Wallace (who, in his "Taboo of Subjectivity" provides an excellent account of the origins of psi skepticism both in ancient Greece and in certain aspects of Christian theology), Carter will help many understand why skeptics have been so vehement and irrational in their attempted defense of rationality.

Finally, one of the Amazon reviewers, in an otherwise positive review, made three comments that are worth looking at. She wondered why Carter focused mostly on experimental parapsychology and didn't make more mention of the difference between lab psi and "real-world" psi. In fact, he has an excellent chapter near the beginning of the book providing a summary of extremely interesting anecdotal evidence for psi. Regarding the reviewer's follow-up speculation that psi effects in the lab will never be as strong as those found in the real world, Carter doesn't address this, but look at Alan Wallace's "Samatha" project and consider whether individuals highly trained in contemplation may not surprise us all in terms of the kind of psi effects that might be demonstrated in the laboratory.

The reviewer also asked why Carter didn't mention unconscious fear of psi. I suspect this is actually a more powerful factor working in many skeptics than the desire to defend the scientific enterprise (philosopher Daniel Dennett has said - one hopes, in a whimsical mood - that he would commit suicide if psi were "proven" - someone should write to him and warn him about Carter's book!). However, if Carter had thought of mentioning this, I think he was wise not to. The few times I've brought this up to otherwise rational skeptics, they become vehemently irrational in their denial of the possibility that any kind of unconscious motivation - fear or otherwise - could possibly be relevant to their decidedly rational rejection of parapsychology.


Oh, I almost forgot to mention - the book's lots of fun to read.

This is a book which will be very valuable to a lot of people interested in the scientific research which has been done on the subject.
It describes the whole saga that parapsychology has been through on a very clear way. Dogmatism, ignoring evidence, out-dated arguments, a bunch of dogmatic media skeptics, it becomes clear why parapsychology still has such a hard time to become accepted in the mainstream scientific world and this has very little to do with the amount of evidence which is out there.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

Chris Carter does a stand-up job of countering the skeptics using their favorite weapon-- logic and rationality. In an intelligently presented yet easily understood review, Carter makes the case for the scientific merits of parapsychology, starting right in the introduction. As a lawyer and writer researching parapsychology through the last 150 years, I rely repeatedly on Carter's excellent work. I would recommend it to all thinking inquirers. Ronda Muir, Esq.

This fine book fills a pressing need: it's an up-to-date source that can be wholeheartedly recommended to people who are under the impression that belief in so-called "paranormal" phenomena is contrary to science -- both those who are dogmatically convinced that it is, and those who do believe in the existence of psi but feel they should be apologetic about it. I am acquainted with some of each, and I will waste no time in suggesting that they owe it to themselves to read what Chris Carter has to say.

In relatively brief but clear and well-documented chapters, Carter covers the history of psi research, the experimental evidence for psi phenomena, the reasons why skeptics reject this evidence, and the principles of contemporary science with which it is compatible. His discussion is wisely limited to extrasensory perception (telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance) and psychokinesis (PK, the action of mind on matter). Future books dealing with other, less firmly established, phenomena are planned; separating them not only keeps the coverage within manageable length, but avoids the possibility that aspects of research not dependent on each other will be will judged as a whole, causing some readers to doubt even the unassailable facts of what is now known.

Carter's emphasis on the philosophy of science, and his analysis of modern skeptics' determined resistance to acceptance of evidence that in any other area they would consider conclusive, is particularly valuable. I myself suspect that this resistance goes somewhat deeper than he suggests; my own view, expressed in my fiction, is that it is based not merely on commitment to an obsolete conception of scientific principles that would be upset by recognition of psi, but on an underlying unconscious fear. However, that is simply my personal hypothesis. As the book is about science, it rightly focuses on demonstrable facts and scientific considerations rather than speculation about psychological factors.

My only reservation about this book as an introduction to psi for the uninformed reader is that it fails to make clear the distinction between experimental evidence for psi and psi as it operates in the real world.
Although it briefly covers historical reports of real-world psi, the fundamental reason why equally spectacular results are not, and can never be, obtained through controlled experiments may not be grasped by readers whose impression of psychic powers has been gained from pop-culture media. Carter does mention that many people feel that laboratory psi is "somehow different" from real-life psi, but surely that is an understatement. It is generally acknowledged that spontaneous psi experiences are strongly dependent on emotion. That psi exists can be demonstrated scientifically, but its role in human affairs can no more be investigated in a lab setting than can that of love. Furthermore, the extent to which psi occurs spontaneously on an unconscious level, which I believe to be a major factor in that role, cannot be revealed by scientific research of the kind now possible. Whereas these considerations are beyond the scope of the book, I do fear that some readers may be given the impression that the data obtained in laboratories is fully representative of the human mind's "paranormal" capabilities. The absence of a more detailed description of the very real evidence for controlled clairvoyance obtained through military use of remote viewing (a term not even included in the index) is also unfortunate in this regard. But these omissions do not detract from the overall importance of the book as a refutation of the claim that science rules out psi phenomena. It is indispensable for that purpose and should be required reading for everyone with an interest in the nature of reality.

As the author is quick to point out, an obvious characteristic of life is purposefulness. As living creatures, we all have a sense, either unconscious, conscious, or both, of purpose. But how does this purposefulness, or "Life-Urge" fit into how we view ourselves, from a religious point of view?

Carleton says there are four main ways in which people can do this. First, one can view oneself as "Me." That is, the sense of purpose is one's own purpose and no more. Second, one can view oneself as a living being among many living beings, all of whom have a sense of purpose. Third, one can view oneself as part of Life, which has a unified Purpose (basically, a Buddhist point of view). Fourth, one can view oneself as an entity whose purpose is secondary to what really counts, namely one or more Goddesses or Gods and Her, His, or Their Purpose. The author strongly prefers the second of these viewpoints, which he calls "prototheism."

This idea is contrasted with what today is practically a majority concept, namely the fourth point of view: ascribing the Life Urge to a single Deity. Of course, monotheistic religions today generally prescribe specific theologies, sets of beliefs, and practices to vast numbers of people. But Carleton shows that even now, there are alternatives for people who want more flexibilty, freedom, or privacy in their religious practices.

Still, all this is the icing on the cake. I left out decribing the cake, namely the initial chapters of the book. Here, Carleton starts with an excellent summary of the origin of Catholic Christianity (there are appendices that discuss Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam). He starts with the origin of the concept of deities, but adds that when one considers, say, fire to be a deity, it "closes out any attempt to learn the true nature of fire."

Given the tendency for origins to be viewed in religious ways, Carleton gives some more excellent summaries....of the way we view origins scientifically. In roughly sixty impressive pages, he covers the origin of our Universe, the origin of the Earth, the origin of life on Earth, the evolution of life to arrive at humans, and the origin of human society and of societal theistic beliefs (if you think all this is easy to write, you try it). After that, he speculates about the attributes of the conscious and unconscious parts of our thinking and responses, and how that has contributed to our sense of purpose and of religion.

So what is to be done about the fact that much of the world is monotheistic today? Carleton basically advises tolerance, not potentially risky and disruptive confrontation. Attitudes are changing. Let them. His recommendations are to move in a direction (towards prototheism) that he feels we are heading in anyway.

I recommend this book. Nobody is going to agree with every single point in it, but it has plenty for us all to think about.

This philosophy book details the quest for a believable narrative in light of contemporary science. Carleton has clearly done a fantastic job keeping up with recent scientific developments and uses this to critique the narrative of what we might call fundamental Protestantism. As a complement to this quest two books immediately jump to mind (both of which are in the bibliography) How We Believe : Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God (second edition) by Michael Shermer, and Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought by Pascal Boyer. This book follows the basic position taken in those two books.
In reading the bibliography to get an idea what the book offers I note that certain names I expect to find to address narrative construction issues I find most intriguing, that includes those names associated with the linguistic turn and the "prison house of language" are not in this bibliography. These include names such as Hegel, Wittgenstein and Rorty. This aspect central to postmodern narrative construction is not part of the approach.
As a result the book is interesting but the author misses something important. This is evident in the very description of the issues brought up. For example, Carleton explains he is an ex-Catholic and why. This strikes me as defining Carleton as a fundamentalist scientist doing philosophy. By chapter 4 this is even more convincing. Carleton is a scientific fundamentalist in the sense that he is applying contemporary science to revise the narratives from which we traditionally derive our values in much the same way that others have without the insights that come from the linguistic turn. This approach ignores the nature of language, language games, and narrative construction - I am thinking of examples such as Wittgenstein and Quine in this respect, though the whole movement from Hume through Kant and Hegel which sets up the linguistic turn are important. If Carleton would consider the nature of what he is constructing from the standpoint of language analysis and narrative construction, and so recognize "the prison house of language" within which he is working this would come to a better end. An excellent example of how this point would change the outcome concerns Carleton's use of the metaphor of the solar system and the geo-centered system as the typical icon of progress. Yet relativity gives us the view of both of these as mirror image models both useful in different contexts - they are different perspectives on the same thing, while Einstein gives us still another view, both earth and sun are traveling in a straight line while space is curved, and there are still others each of which are useful for certain purposes. The paradigm of relativity when applied across the board, especially when it comes to knowledge and what can be known, would lead to a more successful narrative I think. An example of a scientist that does do this is Stuart Kauffman. (See Investigations by Stuart A. Kauffman) This is important since remaining a skeptic strikes me as a very uncomfortable place to be - I think of Hegel's description of the "unhappy consciousness" in this regard. Einstein and Godel both viewed things from their paradigm in a way that led to better things. (See Incompleteness by Rebecca Goldstein for a wonderful description of this.) This is a good book and leads to an avid desire that the investigations continue!

Paul Carleton's Concepts analyses history, physics, biology, psychology and economics. At bottom, however, Concepts is about a single philosophical question: how does a skeptic, turned off by the traditional God, find meaning in life? Indeed, how does s/he find a "religion" in the best senses of that word?

Concepts is the result of an intellectual quest on which Carleton embarked when he retired from his business career. It's difficult to imagine a more worthy retirement project. The fruits of his labor can be summed up as follows: "Where does religion come from ... [i]f not from 'out there' [i.e., heaven]? ... My hunch is that it's our own Life Urge which is the sine qua non of all Life and which emerges spontaneously in all Life ... [I]f what's worshipped as 'God' is in fact our own Life Urge, could our 'Life Urge' be the basis of a new or revised religion?"

Indeed, it could -- and it is wonderful to see people who are turned off by traditional faiths look for alternatives, rather than simply proclaiming themselves "atheists" and kissing religion goodbye. As I read this book, however, I wondered why Carleton spent relatively little time addressing other alternatives already available to the skeptic. For example, Spinoza's philosophy posits a "conatus" inside every natural form that strives to persist in its own being, and extols a God devoid of all supernatural substance that encompasses the eternal and infinite in nature. Those who wish to follow in Carleton's footsteps and create religious alternatives of their own are advised to consider carefully the work of Spinoza and other heretical philosophers before starting from scratch. We all should value many types of wheels, but nobody should feel the need to reinvent the concept.

If you are breaking down the walls of a dogma-ridden religious indoctrination and want a guide and traveling companion as you explore the terrain outside the boundaries, you may find Concepts a useful tool for your journey. Carleton's friendly, personal writing style, and his use of anecdotes from his own life to illustrate points he is crafting, makes reading fairly easy for such a heady and comprehensive topic. Although I didn't always agree with the author's assumptions or conclusions, I found many of his arguments thought provoking. He obviously loves his subject and has given it a great deal of thought. If your touchstone is science, and you like reading that is weighted toward the intellectual, you may find many useful jewels in this wide-ranging exploration.

This unusual book advocates a science of religion, "Prototheism." The author is careful to point out that he is not advocating Prototheism as a new religion, but as the SCIENCE of religion, a subtle but important distinction. Prototheism does not rely on on extant God, but instead puts all its marbles on a "Life Urge" that inhabits all living things - a living thing being any complex collection of molecules above RNA. Unlike religions, Prototheism is amenable to changes in its tenets in response to new discoveries in science.

From page 184: "Life initially emerged from Earth's matter nearly four-billion years ago as molecules randomly rearranged themselves to better withstand adversity. Other molecules adopted the practice and elaborated on it, passing their ever more complex and elegant arrangements on to other macromolecules - they replicated. What was a reaction became a PROaction, a way-of-life, a Life Urge...as this Urge to Life experienced ever greater adversity, it found ever more elegant solutions - synergistic arrangements of complex structures...as nervous systems became more elaborate they became brains and finally brains became reflexive - consciousness emerged. All Life is innately aware of its Life Urge else it wouldn't be alive...we conscious humans can not only revel in Life but can choose to help carry Life's evolution forward."

The fallacy with this lies in how to scientifically identify the "Life Urge." Without that, Prototheism has nothing to study. The author presents supporting literature from brain studies but they do not impress me as "hard data." Dennett's (Darwin's Dangerous Idea) coined term "sky hooks" describes the tendency to ascribe to God that which cannot (as yet) be explained otherwise, that eludes explanation - a "God of the Gaps." The author relied on religion for a large part of his life and then abandoned it. Rather than searching externally for God, Carleton now looks internally to the "Life Urge." I would question the need to look at all - there are many other explanations (Boyer's "Religion Explained," Atran's "In Gods We Trust"). Among other things, whether a non-religious individual perceives an unfilled void depends on his/her personality and on the role religion played in his early life.

The author is a former Catholic with a rather rigid Jesuit upbringing during the last parts of the depression. In his adult life an "epiphany" or two caused him to leave his leadership role in his church. He is an engineer with an MBA and has always been interested in science. In his retirement he embarked on a more extensive study of science resulting in this book. In Prototheism, he postulates that an innate Urge to Life has always been misinterpreted by humans as an external God which doesn't exist. He is not unduly unkind to religions, and suggests to any non-fundamentalists (realising he is never going to be successful with fundamentalists of any sort) how his idea of a SCIENCE of religion might appeal to them regardless of their current affiliation - including those of Jewish or Islam faith. The closest religion to his liking appears to be Universal Unitarianism, except that it has no "overarching doctrine." His excerpt about their belief system does seem to match his ethical thoughts.

With that out of the way, might I say a few words about how truly impressive this book is. The first half is devoted to some of the best summaries of large disciplines of study I have ever read. The bibliography and his frequent personal comments reveal the untold hours of research, rewrites, and care that went into trying to make clear these difficult concepts. These are 1) a synthesis of early Christianity 2) cosmology and quantum physics 3) life's beginnings 4) animal evolution 5) human evolution 6) brain development & consciousness. He appears to be completely mainstream, with the possible exception that 1) He seems to accept group selection 2) He relies on "synergy" as the core of the Life Urge, but is not convincing 3) He suggests a tentative mechanism for ESP.

In addition to 254 pages of text, there are 106 pages of "Notes," very conveniently arranged, extensively documenting his sources and providing additional information in a talkative format. I looked forward to these sections and read each one after finishing the corresponding chapter. The "Life Urge" is partially referenced to other authors, although "prototheism" is entirely his own.

This can be a challenging read in spots for the scientific novice but well worth the effort. I frequently saw him leading up to a given topic and eagerly anticipated how he was going to develop it - his many autobiographical inserts adding flavor. The undertaking of this book was an obvious labor of love and I commend the author for such a well thought out and presented result.

An enthusiastic 5 stars!!

gives hope to us atheists and agnostics. shows that, unlike dawkins, we are not all angry and intolerant

David Cortesi writes in plain language for everyone, without condescending to anyone. He discusses how a non-religious person can get all the spiritual, emotional, social and psychological benefits of religion, without sacrificing a single neuron of intelligence, education or critical thinking.

He is completly critical of every religious tradition, but also open-mindedly sympathetic to all kinds of spirituality. He has searched for what "they" have, and how they get it. But he has not accepted an ounce of new-age hokeyness. He has kept his analytical mind active throughout.

He considers how a person can believe that the universe is purposeless and basically accidental, while still believing that one's own life has meaning. He discusses ways to create community, meditative or contemplative practices, meaningful rituals, ethics, happiness and contentment. He discusses death and self-transcendence and the bliss experience.

If you have no religion, or if you are losing your faith, read this book soon. It's full of good advice. It's consistently understated and about as brief as possible (Cortesi is a computer programmer), so you might have to consider his points carefully. It's honest and deeply thoughtful, intelligent and respectful of its audience. Highly recommended.

David Cortesi's premise is that the benefits of traditional religions are available to non-religious people if they're given the tools to reframe these benefits in secular terms. Cortesi proves capable of delivering on his generous but ambitious agenda. He's smart enough to sort through contending philosophies, honest enough to admit his biases, and grounded enough to not lose his way among the murky ambiguities of existence.

He starts by exploring religion's payoffs. First and foremost, religion provides answers to those two bedeviling questions: who am I and why am I here? You also get ritual practices that orient you in time and space, a ready-made community of like-minded people, and a pre-assembled ethical structure. Religion gives you tools for dealing with life's pitfalls and pratfalls, and ways to cope with your passage out of here. Religious believers get to feel the kind of contented bliss that's been missing since those golden days when it was just the infant you and an attentive caregiver placing a nipple between your lips. Finally, the lucky few occasionally plug in to states of ecstatic transcendence.

Sounds attractive, but there's a catch. To get the benefits, you have to buy in to the whole agenda, and most of these agendas weren't designed with you in mind. Some of them have in fact caused immense suffering and distress over many centuries. Cortesi shows us how to construct beliefs and practices that provide the same emotional and psychological support as religion without forcing us to park our common sense at the door or sally forth to smite infidels who happen to believe in a different godlike character.

His method is to research, then summarize the major issues we must deal with to construct a meaningful life. He's fair to all religious traditions and approaches each of life's big topics in an even-handed, pragmatic manner. Among other things, we learn ways of coping with the fact we're a random accident in the universe, how people actually achieve mystical bliss, and what it means to be happy. He gives practical advice on skills such as creating your own set of rituals, helping people who are grieving, and building up the psychological arsenal you'll need in order to be content. In an appendix, he lists further readings for those who want to delve deeper into any of these questions.

Cortesi is no Augustine, wrestling with great sins on the way to becoming a great saint. He has modest regrets (he wishes he'd devoted more effort to being part of a community) and isn't trying to attain every grand spirtitual aspiration (for instance, he questions whether the efforts to achieve bliss, are, practically speaking, worth the results). In the end, he delivers what he promised, showing us that it's quite possible to live a meaningful, spiritually fullfilled life without surrending yourself to a religious tradition. Cortesi has done us all a great service by writing this book, and everyone, whether secular or religious, should find something of value in its pages.

This book is a well researched and thoughtfully written guide to living a fulfilling nonreligious life. In the first chapter the author outlines some of the benefits that religion offers; existential validity, community, contemplation and tranquility, ritual, mystical ecstasy, self transcendence, ethical structure, and comfort in death. In the remaining chapters of the book he examines how these benefits can be derived in a nontheistic context.
Each chapter could easily have been a book in its own right but what really works in this book is its broad overview and concise organization. It gives the reader a great starting overview for the issues presented. The author does give many references for further reading and thought on each topic. For this reason I would especially recommend it as a starting point to someone who feels they can't embrace belief in the supernatural or reject science but is concerned that their life would be lacking without a religious component. I would also recommend it to those who have trouble believing that someone who doesn't believe in a deity or religion could be a moral and ethical person. The chapter on the development of an ethical basis and personal/family code was one of my favorites.
I did want to add something from my own experience on finding community. The author gives a lot of practical advice but refrains from mentioning specific groups in the book. I think this was the right approach since each person's path and beliefs may differ. I personally found many friends and community through an American Humanist affiliate group and the Unitarian Universalist church. I'm not specifically endorsing any particular groups for others but just wanted to point out that there are lots of opportunities out there, some others are Brights, Pantheists, Secular Coalition, Free Thinkers, Secular Humanists, another reviewer mentioned Friends of Reason, etc...So do some research and you should be able to find a community of people of like minded beliefs, you are not alone.

This small book at last addresses in a simple way the key elements of a rich life that anyone can understand. While being very practical there is enough hard evidence to show that Cortesi's views are soundly based.
I especially recommend the chapter on happiness.
Buy it. Read it.

A lovely memoir of the quest for inner peace.
As English professor and secular Jew Weimer (Back Talk: Teaching Lost Selves to Speak, 1994) sits paralyzed by fear during a bumpy plane ride, she begins to feel a mysterious calming presence. Though she's not sure how to interpret the experience, she's certain that she shouldn't tell her husband, David, a devout atheist. Instead, she confides in a friend, who matter-of-factly states " 'Sounds like you met the Black Madonna.' " Intrigued by her friend's comment, the author seeks to learn more about this embodiment of sacred maternal power. As she and David travel to Europe for a sabbatical, Weimer realizes that she desires to understand not only the Black Madonna, but also her late mother, with whom she shared a complex relationship. While David remains hostile to her sudden interest in prayer, she manages to transform the sabbatical into a spiritual quest, navigating a labyrinth in Ravenna, meandering alone through picturesque villages, sitting in chapels devoted to the Madonna and studying complicated texts about sacred sites. When the trip ends, Weimer continues her spiritual journey. Back at home, she attends a one-day "Walking Meditation" retreat, held at a local Episcopal church and led by a female rabbi, who teaches about female representations of the divine in Judaism and Islam. A final, shorter trip to Paris culminates in a general sense of ease and contentment. Throughout, the author demonstrates solid observation skills and a sharp eye for detail, as well as a skillful hand at metaphorical language. When she and her husband depart for foreign countries, they find that they discover each other anew, "with the same attention and wonder that we bring to a Gothic cathedral-craning our necks to admire the vaulted ceiling, descending into the crypt to stand on its ancient stones."
An enjoyable sojourn into feminine spirituality.
-Kirkus Discoveries

Joan Weimer's journey begins with a heart-stopping airplane plunge, then takes her to some of the most famous mystical sites of Europe--sacred labyrinths and shrines of the mysterious Black Madonna--and brings her back home again, to her everyday work and everyday life. These are the external dimensions, the physical map, of her pilgrimage. Inwardly, the journey is even more complex: a dramatic movement from the isolating alienation of Weimar's self-confessed skepticism through a radical questioning that, like the labyrinths she walks, takes her into a new understanding of her own profoundly spiritual self. It includes, as well, a clearer comprehension of her mother's dark and painful rejection that turns, in the end, into a paradoxical and powerful recognition of acceptance.

I first met Joan Weimer through her fine memoir, BACK TALK (a selection of the Story Circle Network's Reading Circle), in which the story of her physical pain and disability is interleaved with the story of Constance Fenimore Woolson, a nineteenth-century American expatriate who committed suicide in Venice. It is a richly imagined, novelistic memoir enriched by Weimer's scholarship and creatively enlivened by her refusal to be defined by that scholarship. Awestruck strikes some of the same notes and chords in a similar melodic structure, except that it is a two-part invention, since the author's husband, David, actively participates in her quest, sometimes encouraging, sometimes resisting her growing insights and awareness of herself. Fellow travelers, we learn, do not always take the same paths.

The immediacy and urgency of Weimer's journey is emphasized through her use of the present tense and her often poetically-charged language. The mausoleum of Galla Placidia, she writes, is a beautiful place:

"...but it's not what I want to see right now. Never mind, we're going there anyway. We're swept up in a sluggish river of tourists, channeled between barriers, packed together so tightly it's impossible to go against the flow. We wash ashore at the mausoleum, where we find the tiny space so packed that we can see only a few inches of the mosaics over people's heads." (p.78)

But it's not just that the language is powerfully metaphoric. The journey is, too, which is nowhere as clear as in the chapter on labyrinths, "Walking a Winding Path." As with any long journey (Weimer and her husband were traveling through several European countries), she often finds herself wishing for a more direct route, as she traces her laborious way to the center and back out again: "In and out, journey and arrival, it's all one path..."(p.75)

Some readers may find the poetic imagery of this carefully crafted memoir occasionally overwhelming, and be distracted by the nagging question: But did it really happen this way, with all of these coincidences and synchronicities? For myself, I would put the question differently. How much of this journey actually happened in physical space and time, and how much of it happens in the mind, in the creative and recreative memory, in the process of writing? Reflection, as Weimer muses over and over, gives us the power to frame and reframe our experience, so that the story of any journey is as much about storying as it is about journeying. Personally, I found myself wishing that Weimer had turned her memoir into a novel, so that concerns about truth could be redirected from real experience to creative imagination.

That said, I read with a deep pleasure to the end and closed the book feeling that I have taken the journey with her as she walks the labyrinths and searches for the Black Madonna through the shadow figure of her own mother. It is a compelling and worthwhile journey.

Susan Wittig Albert is the author of WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY and the founder of the Story Circle Network, a non-profit organization that encourages women to write about their lives. This review is excerpted from a longer review published on the website of the Story Circle Network.

What a thrilling spell this book weaves! Joan Weimer's story about her quest to understand why she - a Jewish skeptic - was suddenly possessed by images of a dark madonna turns into an archetypal story for us all. In it we advance into our own inner labyrinth and discover the meaning of the true-life mazes that pilgrims have walked since time immemorial. A shrewd, clear-eyed, brilliant account of one woman's quest to understand the force understand the force that took hold of her late in life, and the surprising revelations that she won from her willingness to pursue the mysteries to their source. I read it with tremendous delight.

Bonnie Friedman, author of Writing Past Dark and The Thief of Happiness

"A dazzling exploration of love between generations and between partners, and a daring intellectual foray by a splendid writer.
Seeking to understand the profound attraction of Europe's Black Madonnas, Joan Weimer travels back to the tangled roots of pagan,
Christian and Jewish spirituality. Her journey is both geographic and spiritual, scholarly and sensual, and finally unforgettable."

Mary Felstiner, Professor of History, San Francisco State University. Author of /Out of Joint: A Private & Public Story of Arthritis /and /To Paint Her Life: Charlotte Salomon in the Nazi Era

Do all roads lead to God? Perhaps, for the dedicated seeker. Some roads are short and direct, such as traditional Judaism and Christianity. Others are long and indirect, like the ancient labyrinths, requiring greater energy and determination.

In Awestruck, Joan Weimer candidly discusses her own winding spiritual journey. Put off by the masculine God in traditional Judaism, she is intrigued by the images of the Black Madonna throughout Europe. Perhaps the Madonna represents the personal, loving and feminine side of God, neglected by traditional religions?

At the end of the book, we are uncertain if Joan is at the end of her pilgrim's road. Has she stopped with a distant God, as so many have done? Or is she continuing to pursue a personal relationship with God, perhaps through a modified Judaism? Clearly a sequel is required!

The authors use the framework of the Apostles' Creed to provide a helpful description of the Christian story and some of it's implications for the way we might live today.

This book is an especially good first step for those who are becoming disillusioned with an exclusively "head-based" evangelical perspective on faith. (IE - Christianity is about holding the right ideas.) It offers a simple invitation to begin to "try on" the idea that doubt is an essential part of faith.

Per James Pond's review (below), the authors clearly wrestle with these questions in the context of orthodox Christianity, and do not engage with a larger, global perspective on Spirituality.

I am one of the skeptics this book was written for. I also happen to be a Christian. The authors of this book not only understand, but promote, the idea that the two can coexist. As they quote from Dostoyevsky: "Sometimes the greatest act of faith is in the doubting."

What a gift it is to go on this 30-day journey with people who readiily acknowledge how fragile faith can often feel. Larson and Mitchell are refreshingly honest about their own doubts and questions, which is probably why so much of it resonates with me. They actually encourage us to be skeptics, in the healthiest sense of the word, leaving room for the mystery that is God. If you're looking for answers, look elsewhere. If you're open to the value of living with questions, you will probably appreciate, as I did, what this book has to offer. An excellent choice for devotional reading and meditation, regardless of where you are in your journey.

I found this book to be a wonderful tool to share with friends who are asking questions about God and looking for something to help them along. I like the conversational approach, the 30 day format, the way it breaks down the Apostle's Creed and helps the reader understand what it is all about. I have given numerous copies to friends who are at various places in their spiritual journey, some just starting out, others further along, and all have remarked that this book was very helpful to them.

What a great little book! The authors take the time to explore spiritual questions, rather than simply rushing to answers; and each writes with a humor, honesty and humility that I enjoyed and appreciated.

The daily readings are refreshing and challenging - providing a unique and interesting mix of scripture, creed and thoughts on faith. I used the book as devotional reading and have returned several times to chapters like "What About When Doubt Overshadows Belief?" and "Will Life Ever Be the Way It's Supposed to Be?"

I'm grateful to have this book - and have already given copies to friends

After reading A Place for Skeptics...I could have entitled it "A Place for my Friends and I". All my life I have heard the Apostles Creed, and this book helped me to take the next step in understanding my faith and belief in God. More than that, this book has been a helpful tool for me to give to friends as they try to understand their own beliefs in God, and how those beliefs make it into their everyday lives.

A Place for Skeptics is an excellent resource for making the bridge between God...Religion...and your everyday common life. It invites you to explore the reality that God does bring Real Answers to Real Life.....

I pick up this book because it was along others (the art of war, guerrilla marketing, negotiating to yes, what color is your parachute, 21 laws of marketing, one minute manager) in a list of top bussiness books, it talks about attitude wich is a difficult concept and it comes all right. I like the part where he talks about self confidence: most books would lay down some method, this guy tells you to earn it, that you cant fool yourself so if you want to feel better you have to make something.

Inventive, insightful, instructive, inspiring and funny. Filling the Glass is a surprisingly effective and effecting book. One minute you're laughing out loud, the next you're nodding your head in agreement, the next you just have to pause to let a powerful point sink in. As the author acknowledges, many of the strategies are novel and few are familiar, things we know to be true but which we probably haven't really made part of our lives yet. As promised, he provides great new insights even into the familiar strategies and, more importantly, practical tips for incorporating them into your career and/or your life.

Having seen Maher speak, I picked up a copy of Filling the Glass as soon as I heard about it. Reading the book is even better than hearing him in person, because it lasts longer. I couldn't recommend the book more highly. Rich practical knowledge, a world of insight, fascinating and entertaining anecdotes, it's even extremely funny. It's certainly the only business book I've ever read with a conclusion that actually brought tears to my eyes. Wonderful!

Barry Maher has written an exceptional book, one filled to the brim with ideas on how to live up to your potetial, reach your goals, and, perhaps most important, enjoy your career. Take even a sip of his suggestions to heart, and you'll change your life.

Filling the Glass : The Skeptic's Guide to Positive Thinking in Business is an excellent book. The authors holds the view that it is essential to hold a realistic view of a situation to act as a launching point for improvement. Positive thinking is useful when it is bounded by reality.

Filling the Glass makes a very useful arguments for which when looked at in aggregate amount to managing yourself, managing those you work with and managing customers. The author, Barry Maher, lays out the program I mentioned above using the following topics:

Make peace with the negatives
Fill the glass
Become your own guru
Add water
Bring out the prospect in yourself
Become an expert witness
Fail toward success
Brag out the negatives
Change the scale to make the sale
Never settle for success

The author has a thought provoking style and has some really awesome quotes. If your current self help guru has you only visualizing a full glass then Barry can help you take action to actually fill the glass.

The Water Will Hold You is an easy-to-read, accessible, and thoughtful story of a friendship with God. NOT in a scary, arrogant style, but with a tone of understanding and humor, the book explores getting to know God. I loved it and have bought many copies for gifts. It's a great book for people who WANT to believe, but are not sure how.

As a longtime journalist covering the power of spirituality in everyday life, I am drawn to memoirs that -- like Lindsey's story of her life -- invite us into fresh waters. I've read thousands of books in 30-plus years of journalism and I always feel sad when I realize that countless waves of promising spiritual memoirs wind up rippling safely in tried-and-true pools.

One phrase I've picked up in critiquing and covering spiritual media, just over the past year, is "the fix is in." The phrase handily describes those books, memoirs especially, in which we can tell from Page 1 precisely what will happen on Page 250.

Not so with Lindsey's book, which is why I've been recommending it in my writing for more than a year -- and I'm freshly recommending it during Lent 2008 in an online Lenten project I'm helping to publish. I was moved by her writing about her relationship with her mother toward the end of her mother's life. But, more than that, I was moved by Lindsey's solid-as-steel commitment as a memoirist to be honest about her life.

This honesty takes us places, as readers, that we sometimes may not want to go. There are passages in this book that you may never have expected to read in a spiritual memoir. Certainly, Lindsey takes us a good step beyond Anne Lamott. But that's what makes it a terrific book.

It's honest. And, yes, honestly this memoir "Will Hold You."

A brave and beautiful memoir, fiercely honest, fluidly told. Spiritual faith has not come easily to Crittenden, a self-proclaimed skeptic whose writing is evidence of her highly rational, ordered mind. It is through small rituals -- her "starter" prayer is simply, "I am here, you are here" -- that she finds her way to a serenity that sustains her through the worst imaginable losses. The kingdom of heaven, she suggests, is revealed not in blinding lights or large truisms, but in the smallest of details, the tiniest moments of grace. The book itself is an illustration. Without losing sight of the larger questions, it is most alive and effective in its small details -- as when the author describes the effects of candlelight, or the headiness of diving into deep water, or the blissful anonymity of a walk down a snowy New York street.

There is nothing preachy here, no advice, only an intensely personal and painful coming-to-terms. But it is exactly by keeping things personal and specific that the author touches on universals, and manages to reach other skeptics. Like me.

When she was four years old Lindsey Crittenden was practicing that magical trick many an adult still remembers learning -- floating on your back in the swimming pool. When you flap and flail, you will sink, but if you just relax, said her swimming instructor Mrs. Ursula, "the water will hold you." And such is the experience of Christian prayer as she describes it in this memoir.

By her college years Crittenden was a lapsed Episcopalian and a doubter, but in 1996 she walked into All Souls Church in Berkeley and, to her shock, embarked on a life-time pilgrimage shaped by Christian prayer. At first her prayers were visceral and spontaneous: "You are here, I am here." As her faith grew, initial spontaneity gave way to disciplined intentionality, including regular worship, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the rosary, candles, and spiritual direction from her pastors. She compares a life of prayer to her discipline of writing: "If I waited for inspiration, I'd never write a word. . . . I had to make prayer a habit, to go to it the way I went each morning to the desk. Not to summon prayer, but to tap into what was already there."

That discipline became essential to negotiating a complex and extremely painful family history. Her adopted brother Blake, hounded by drug addictions, was killed in a homicide. Her parents, then retirement age, gained custody of her nephew Dylan and became his de facto parents. When her mother died of cancer her aging father was effectively a single parent. Then followed a broken and deeply troubling relationship with a man, a vicious clinical depression that lasted over a year, and then a third death, her father's, all of which left her feeling like a Christian "failure and a fraud." In the end, she writes, Christian prayer is not only a way through loss and grief, it is a call of love and grace (p. 227); it's the growing realization that, yes, the water will hold us if we learn to relax.

Lindsey Crittenden is intelligent and discerning; not one who would turn to God or prayer on faith alone. She is also a person to whom life has given an unusual amount of loss. The fire of isolation brought her into an Episcopalian church, where she met people who believe in God and the teachings of Jesus yet who welcome questions, keen intellect, and authentic sharing of the vulnerability of the heart. Encouraged to experiment, Lindsey discovered faith based not on dogma but on personal experience. Regular prayer creates space for insight, re-framing, and a bodily knowing that one is loved by a Divine presence.

After finding a connection to well-being through prayer, Lindsey experienced betrayal and loss that was perhaps the straw on the camel's back. She then survived months of extreme grief and depression during which prayer seemed obsolete. But with time and perseverence Spirit found her again, through nature. Prayer and divinity are much larger and less predictable than a quiet morning meditation or a Sunday at church, though these rituals are often crucial.

This book is beautifully written; a fascinating and searingly honest memoir. It's a great read on that level alone. But readers interested in the powerful effect of a concious spiritual practice will find a special resonance. One does not have to be Christian to appreciate this point, or Lindsey's fascinating book. Lindsey is simply telling her own story, prescribing nothing to the reader; any one who chooses can find reinforcement in this book for their own efforts to clear a path for the Divine.

Well written, concise and to the point. Dunning has a wonderful sense of humor that makes this a pleasant very informative read.

This is a remarkable collection of incorrect beliefs laid bare. Brian has a knack for finding these nuggets of BS, researching the truth, and presenting the unbiased evidence mixed with insightful opinion. It's also very entertaining - I laughed out loud many times. Highly recommended.

Mr. Brian Dunning is making his incredibly well researched podcast more accessible to everyone. I bought this for a professor of mine and she loved it! I must say that Brian, aside from being incredibly cool in person, is totally committed to skeptical inquiry and critical thought and this book really shows that commitment, in trying to reach the widest audience possible. The transcripts are short and to the point, no unnecessary blabbering. So, if you have an interest in understanding the REAL details behind pop culture pseudoscience, or wish additional details to help in your daily fight against psychics, UFO's, and bigfoot, look no further!

Brian Dunning takes a thoughtful, scientific approach to dissecting faulty thinking. He is an equal-opportunity critic of flawed logic. His coverage of a certain topic will lead you to believe he's a paid consultant for a particular political group. Then the next topic will point the other direction. I guess the bottom line is that no political group has cornered the market on pseudo-scientific thinking. He's changed my mind on several issues. He's informative, persuasive, and funny. Judge for yourself.

Skeptoid by Brian Dunning is indeed a great book. It is a fairly quick read, and made for great quick breaks at work and around the house. As a fairly recent subscriber to the podcast (last 3 months) I hadn't read or heard most of the first 50 which are included here. My favorite was #29, Orbs in the camera. This one holds a special place in my heart, my brother and I would go out to graveyards when we were younger and take polaroids of this "phenomenon" and be excited that we captured ghosts on film. After getting older (and thanks to some critical thinking) Ive always wondered what those things actually were, and now I know. Hopefully we can look forward to Skeptoid #51-100 in book form soon.

In these times, any book that encourages free-spirited inquiry is especially welcome. It's inherently true of James Sanford's Great Freethinkers, a commonplace book on free thought that is, so far as I can tell, without precedent or equal in recent decades. With so many unaware of the significance of skepticism and free thought in human history and especially within the American experience, the appearance of such an anthology is not just opportune. It offers an essential corrective, at a time when the spiteful, destructive influence of misshapen religious ideologies is increasing both here and abroad.

The people quoted in the work were discerning thinkers who questioned dogmas of any kind, be they social, political, or religious. Agnostics, atheists, non-conformists, skeptics, unconventional theists, and advocates of religious freedom, to cover just some of the categories of belief represented, they have achieved their own kind of immortality in this useful anthology.

Some of them-- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Benjamin Franklin, for example--are most certainly not forgotten. Yet they are nevertheless poorly understood in a culture in which virtually every candidate for major office vaguely casts himself or herself as a Christian--while providing no real insight about what that means.

Others, like the accomplished essayist and Randolph Bourne and the unmatched Republican orator Robert G. Ingersoll, have been utterly and undeservedly neglected. These men were intellectual giants in their time, and timeless in their insights, and Sanford has done us a service by making it possible to become (re)acquainted with them.

It's crucial, too, to remember that freethinkers went beyond the realm of philosophy, furthering human freedom and enlightenment in the arts, humanities, politics, and the sciences. Those whose wise insights are collected here include Arendt, Bourne, Darwin, Delacroix, Dewey, Du Bois, Edison, Einstein, Mencken, Shaw, Spencer, Twain, Whitman.

Should they read it, those inclined to simplistically condemn free inquiry as "atheism" will be surprised to encounter a complexity and variety of thought on such subjects as God, the soul, virtue, self-knowledge, human nature, death, evolution, freedom, and more. For those who consider themselves free thinkers, the book will serve as a reminder that they are in excellent company.

This selection of quotes deserves a spot by the beside where it can be taken up occasionally. A quote a night would be a good way to handle the book, much as one could do with Bartlett's Quotations. There is food for thought and amusement in these carefully selected quotations on the most serious of subjects, from sex to religion.

Conformist thought has its needed critics and you will find them all, and their words of inspiration, in "Great Free Thinkers". I found the section on religion especially meaningful, when religion so sadly seems to becoming a thing of unexamined doctrine, as opposed to inspired spirituality. Making waves in the face of oppression and meanness is all our responsibility and this good book introduces us to those who have done it with great grace and influence in the past.

"Great Freethinkers" is a treasure trove, a buffet of pithy quotations on all the things that matter--religion, ethics, love, war, sex, human nature, and much more. The selections prod, poke, nudge and challenge the reader to shake off ideas grown stale. Some selections will be illuminating, while others may infuriate, all of which serves the book's main goal: awakened consciousness and fresh thought. They comprise an astonishing range of writers and thinkers, from the Chinese sage Hsun Tzu, the Muslim philosopher Averroes, and the Roman Lucretius, to Thomas Paine, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, and Albert Einstein. These short selections are appetizers: to delve deeper into the argument, one need only read more of the source.

In these times, any book that encourages free-spirited inquiry is especially welcome. It's inherently true of James Sanford's Great Freethinkers, a commonplace book on free thought that is, so far as I can tell, without precedent or equal in recent decades. With so many unaware of the significance of skepticism and free thought in human history and especially within the American experience, the appearance of such an anthology is not just opportune. It offers an essential corrective, at a time when the spiteful, destructive influence of misshapen religious ideologies is increasing both here and abroad.

The people quoted in the work were discerning thinkers who questioned dogmas of any kind, be they social, political, or religious. Agnostics, atheists, non-conformists, skeptics, unconventional theists, and advocates of religious freedom, to cover just some of the categories of belief represented, they have achieved their own kind of immortality in this useful anthology.

Some of them-- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Benjamin Franklin, for example--are most certainly not forgotten. Yet they are nevertheless poorly understood in a culture in which virtually every candidate for major office vaguely casts himself or herself as a Christian--while providing no real insight about what that means.

Others, like the accomplished essayist and Randolph Bourne and the unmatched Republican orator Robert G. Ingersoll, have been utterly and undeservedly neglected. These men were intellectual giants in their time, and timeless in their insights, and Sanford has done us a service by making it possible to become (re)acquainted with them.

It's crucial, too, to remember that freethinkers went beyond the realm of philosophy, furthering human freedom and enlightenment in the arts, humanities, politics, and the sciences. Those whose wise insights are collected here include Arendt, Bourne, Darwin, Delacroix, Dewey, Du Bois, Edison, Einstein, Mencken, Shaw, Spencer, Twain, Whitman.

Should they read it, those inclined to simplistically condemn free inquiry as "atheism" will be surprised to encounter a complexity and variety of thought on such subjects as God, the soul, virtue, self-knowledge, human nature, death, evolution, freedom, and more. For those who consider themselves free thinkers, the book will serve as a reminder that they are in excellent company.

FINALLY, after thirty-something years, Jesus Christ makes sense to me! I finally see why and how it all happened. Kumar pulls in references and quotes from some of the best Christian minds and publications. For such a bargain price, one might expect a small pocket book with tired arguments. But this is a large book chock full of great information and thought-provoking descriptions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching or to any Christian who is helping to answer a searcher's questions.

This book is an excellent introduction to the philosophical arguements that support Christianity. When I first looked at the illustrations of htis book I expected it to be on the Junior High level but it is more indeapth. While only an introduction to the subject Steve Kumar does an excellent job of encapsulating the basic arguements for 1) the existence of God 2)the existence of Evil being consistent with the existence of God 3) the irrationallity of Atheism 4) the Deity of Christ 5) the divine origin of the Bible and 6) agruments against Eastern religions and Islam.

This book is not only a good evangelical tool but also should be read by Christians to better understand the logical validity of their faith.

I recommend this book for skeptics who need an "in a nutshell" coverage of the basics of Christianity. I also recommend this book to any Christian who has deep faith in Christ, but also needs a deeper intellectual understanding of what he/she believes.
It doesn't "beat the bush" when confronted with questions like "Is the resurrection real?" or "Is the Bible the true word of God?" The answers are given in plain English, not in academic gibberish, so that I would not be worried that some people would find it too hard to understand or too simplified to be credible. It also exposes the weaknesses of the other religions when put in the presence of the light of Christianity. I consider it a priceless tool in answering questions raised by an unbelieving and confused world.

Don't underestimate Mr. Kumar he does a masterful job at explaining complex arguments in simple understandable terms. This is a great tool for evangelism. If you are not quite sure how to answer those hard-nosed intellectual snobs, this book is a great starting point. Kumar deals with some of the most relevant objections of our time. How would you answer an Atheist? Can you really trust the Bible? Kumar deals with these questions and much more. The reason I gave this book a five star rating is because it maintains simplicity yet incorporates complexity!