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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Is Belief in God Good Bad or Irrelevant by Greg Graffin & Preston Jones





This book is a published email correspondence between a professor at a Christian University named Preston Jones and Greg Graffin. At the time of his publication, Greg Graffin was working on his PhD. Since the publication he has become a professor of Zoology and accomplished scientist at UCLA. He has also been the singer for the amazing punk rock group Bad Religion since the 1980s. This is such a great book that I finished it in one day. I like reading books on this topic, so it was nice seeing a dialog between the two opposing viewpoints. Preston Jones is probably the only Christian I've read that I have much respect for. He seems genuinely thoughtful, even if his thoughts are lacking in depth. I like that he is curious about atheism and is not repelled by Greg Graffin's atheism. In most discussions like this, the discussion is tense, like a meeting between the leaders of two rival nations. Instead, this book has the atmosphere of two human beings trying to find truth. It's very relaxed. What I like is that throughout the book quotes from various philosophers, scientists, the bible, and Bad Religion songs are inserted where necessary, most often when it is referenced. It keeps the reading smooth and easy, so if you are not like myself and voraciously read philosophy and science, you won't need to go look it up. At the end of the book are study questions and discussion questions so that you can do further research for yourself, and also discuss things with your friends, book club, or whatever. I highly recommend getting this book, regardless of your religious views.


This book truly deserves a 9/10. I hope to see more books like this in the future.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

Sorry I haven't written a review. I've been busy over the holidays. I'm sick right now, so this review won't be that long but it's been a while since I've posted. I have many new books - both fiction and non-fiction - to read and review over the course of 2011. There will be books about science, god, philosophy, and even a few fictional books i'll review.


Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku is best summarized in one word: cool! If you are a fan of science fiction, as I am, you will enjoy this book. Kaku divides various things seen in science fiction movies into three categories. Class 1 things are things which are not really impossible, but unlikely due to technological limitations, but may be possible one day. Class 2 Impossibilities are those which are hypothetically possible, but extremely unlikely because it would take thousands of years of technological development. Class 3 impossibilities are things which are thought to be impossible because they violate the laws of physics. Kaku is an accomplished physicist, and has a very in depth knowledge of these things. He also explains things simply and clearly. If you are a fan of science fiction with an interest in the science behind things like time travel, the Death Star, the Starship Enterprise, and robots you will very much enjoy this book. I have no complaints, so it gets a 10/10.