What Darwin Got Wrong

Posted 7:46pm Sunday 11th July 2010

uthors: Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Parmarini Publisher: Profile (3/5)     Let’s get this straight: Fodor and Piattelli-Parmarini (F&PP) are not creationists; they are atheists through and through. They don’t deny that species are descended from Read more...

Dead White Men & Other Important People: Sociology’s Big Ideas.

Posted 3:45pm Sunday 11th July 2010

uthors: Ralph Fevre and Angus Bancroft Publisher: Palgrave (3.5/5) Dead White Men is sociology’s answer to Jostein Gaardner’s Sophie’s World, but it’s not quite as good. As in Sophie’s World, Fevre and Bancroft attempt to introduce the big ideas of their Read more...

Thinking of Answers – Questions in the Philosophy of Everyday Life

Posted 2:49pm Sunday 11th July 2010

Author: A. C. Grayling Publisher: Bloomsbury (4/5) I must admit to not being A. C. Grayling’s biggest fan: we’re in opposing camps on many issues. However, I do appreciate his role as a public intellectual, bringing philosophy (or critical thinking, if you prefer) to the Read more...

Top 5 Secondhand Bookstores in Dunedin

Posted 12:19pm Sunday 11th July 2010

I can’t remember the last time I bought a book from a chain bookstore. With several online shopping options (check out goodbooksnz.co.nz: it’s often cheaper than Amazon, and proceeds go to Oxfam), and UBS so close, there seems to be little reason to leave campus for books. Besides, even Read more...

The Bible (Part 2 of 2)

Posted 4:03am Wednesday 23rd June 2010

5/5 Last week I argued for the importance of biblical literacy, even for non-religious folk. But approaching this ancient collection of texts is a daunting task. After all, the Bible is a diverse collection of over 60 ‘books’ of different genres, collected together more than a Read more...