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Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).

Thursday, October 28, 2010

I've read John Shook's book (2)

Back on 12 October, I promised a full review of John Shook's The God Debates "in a couple of days". Ulp. A couple of days passed ... and then another couple of weeks. I super-promise that I'll get to it soon.

Meanwhile, Ophelia Benson is also reading it, and she's also positive about it.

Once again this is a very nice, readable and accessible book that, as I wrote last time, is more about philosophy of religion than theology except near the end. "... and it does provide a nice, readable, potted introduction to the field, including some good discussion of the more avant-garde and slippery arguments that might get trotted out against you in an actual debate with a well-prepared believer who has been reading Plantinga and the like."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Russell/Prof Blackford,

I've just finished 'The Moral Landscape' and I really enjoyed it. However, there does seem to be something philosophically fishy about Harris' argument.
When will your review appear, so that I can defer the difficult process of thinking to a proper philosopher?

Keep up the good work!

Russell Blackford said...

It'll be this year, but it's competing with some other things that I'm doing.

Oh, and please don't be formal - no need for that.