Editorial Review

If the prescriptions for getting rich that are outlined in books such as Read more

Reviews (279)

...like giving or getting Galileo's book on the solar system as a Christmas gift in 1632
My professional work involves evaluating money managers and trying to "understand" a manager's skill vs luck and where the manager might fit in an overall portfolio.So I have spent 30+ years slashing my way through the jungle made by academics who think they can put markets and reality into nice, predictable models; and worse, listening to the sales pitches of money managers and other financial salesmen who want you to believe they are predictably worth paying very high fees and subjecting your money to untold risks.
interesting but too long and arrogent
The author has some interesting things to say on randomness and probability and how it effects our day to day life. However what could have been an interesting long essay does not a book make! Furthermore he is really annoying in the way he makes snide and unjustified remarks about various people. For example - he may think Buffet is a lucky fool and he may be right (I do not understand the markets enough to judge this one). However he doesn't stop there. He goes on to attack Buffet for living a moderate life style (so what) and ends with musing if money isn't importent for Buffet why doesn't he become a monk or a social worker. Well this was before Buffet gave away most of his fortune and I hope Taleb is suitably shamed. I suspect this guy is fueled by envy and probably an inferiority complex (as he comes across as sooo superior).
Oh, what could have been
As someone with a taste for statistical theory, this one was disappointing.Taleb is constantly casting around for what exactly he wants to write about.Yes, he passably develops his theory that people read far too much into random events.He does this through a series of personal stories, which unto themselves are entertaining.But, it's never clear if he's writing an autobiography or discussing randomness and I came away from this book no more enlightened about randomness than I had been before.If you are a novice in the area and are looking for a light introduction on the subject, it's a good book.If you're already familiar with the concept of randomness, don't bother. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Chance    5. Economic Statistics    6. Finance    7. Free Will & Determinism    8. Investment Analysis    9. Investments    10. Investments & Securities - General    11. Random variables    12. Statistics    13. Business & Economics / Finance   

Reviews (31)

Buy a book on probability instead
This book is mostly built around the idea "I wish it were true = it *is* true".While this book has innate appeal to those looking for meaning in their lives, if you're looking for a firm foundation for understanding coincidences in your life (i.e. intellectual integrity), you'd be better off buying an introduction to probability.

Everything Happens For A Reason
I enjoyed this quick read.I did skip over a few chapters that I didn't feel were pertinent to me, but still really enjoyed this book.If you are looking to see if you are on the right path in life, read God Winks.And then, start paying attention, you'll be surprised at what comes to mind!

Thoroughly enjoyable
This was an enjoyable book from the first page to the last.We all have moments of coincidence and this book puts into perspective that these moments do not "just happen"...putting the focus on God. I love the imagery of God "winking" at such a moment as if to say, "Hey there kid, I'm thinking about you right now."Now whenever a coincidence happens in my life, I find myself winking back to say, "Thank You, God...I'm thinking about You right now, too!"Very well written.Hats off to SQuire Rushnell for an exceptionally good book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Affirmations    2. Coincidence    3. Faith    4. Free Will & Determinism    5. Inspirational    6. Inspirational - Protestant Self Help    7. Probabilities    8. Religion    9. Religious aspects    10. Christianity    11. Ethics & moral philosophy    12. Nature & existence of God    13. Religion / Faith    14. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Subjects:  1. Neuropsychology    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy / Free Will & Determinism    4. Psychology    5. Psychology & Psychiatry / Cognitive Psychology    6. Cognitive Psychology    7. Free Will & Determinism    8. Free will and determinism    9. Neurosciences    10. Philosophy & theory of psychology    11. Philosophy of mind    12. Physiological & neuro-psychology    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / Neuropsychology    14. Psychology & Psychology   

Reviews (10)

excellent presentation of arminian theology with strong biblical exegesis
Picirilli's work is long overdue as an accurate presentation of the Arminian position.The author does a very good job contrasting the views of James Arminius with Calvinism and the erroneous beliefs of many that would call themselves Arminians today (i.e. Pinnock's open theism).
Clearest presentation of Arminianism available
This book is the best introduction to Arminianism available.Picirilli is articulating what he calls "Reformation Arminianism," the actual views of Arminius himself.His arguments are fair and compelling, and any Calvinist will admit that Picirilli has presented their position correctly.The only thing I don't like about this book is the frequency of statements like "Due to lack of space in this volume, I have to restrict my explanation to this one point," and a few typographical errors (which can be expected with the first printing of anything).

Worthwhile read for Calvinists and Arminians alike
Having been studying this field for a couple years, I found there to be a huge range of variations in both camps. This book, I felt, clearly explained the key points of the common variations from each camp. And as a beginner I found this helpful.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Protestanism    3. Christianity - Theology - Soteriology    4. Faith    5. Free Will & Determinism    6. Free will and determinism    7. Grace (Theology)    8. Religion    9. Religion - Theology    10. Salvation    11. Ethics & moral philosophy    12. Nature & existence of God   

Reviews (21)

Camus eclipses nihilism and brings news of a new age!
I first became interested in Albert Camus after reading a quote from The Rebel online."I rebel, therefore we exist" was the quote, and I must admit that, after reading the book, there has never been anything truer written.When I was in a bookstore a few months ago I found a copy of The Rebel, which is apparently a rare sight these days, since The Rebel is often ignored.Camus is one of the most famous writers of the 20th century, so why would one of his masterpieces be ignored?
An inquiry into the ethics of rebellion
This book followed his 'The Myth of Sisyphus'. Camus explains in the beginning that while his previous work was about the question of suicide, this one is about the other aspect of taking human lives - other people's lives (murder). The book however is not so much about murder, as it is about the ethics of rebellion.
Realistic Goals
"The Rebel" is really an extended essay by Camus concerning the rejection of religion as a basis for political and social legitimacy in the West, and the consequences of that rejection.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Free Will & Determinism    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Literature - Classics / Criticism    4. Philosophy Of The 20th Century    5. Revolutions    6. Social Conflict    7. Sociology    8. Violence in Society    9. Modern fiction    10. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (71)

Chosen by God
A professorial dissertation on predestination and Reformed theology. Much human logic and illustrations but not much specific reference to Scripture. No challenge to the reader to search out the truth from the Scriptures, but a clear and somewhat contradictory presentation of the Reformed view.

An Excellent Overview - Highly Recommend!
I found this to be an excellent overview of the Calvinist point-of-view for Predestination.Dr. Sproul's arguements are presented in a very readable and logical manner. If your are interested in learning more on this subject, then I would very much recommend a new DvD entitled "Amazing Grace".The more I learn about this subject, the more I am compelled to believe that it is, in fact, the correct point-of-view.But, please read it and decide for yourself.
Clear, Simple . . . . Perhaps too Simple
Depending where you are on your journey of intellectual advance, this work is either completely useless or invaluable. To those who have even a smattering of an introduction to this doctrine, please go elsewhere. This book is for beginners!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - Protestant    2. Christianity - Theology - Soteriology    3. Free Will & Determinism    4. Religion    5. Religion - Theology    6. Theology   

Reviews (2)

An insightful but troubled reading of Schelling
Because it is thoughtful and thurough, as well as the fact that is one of the few book-length treatments of any single Schelling text, Heidegger's text on Schelling's "Freedom Essay" is a valuable book for studying Schelling. But despite its use, this text has significant flaws.First, Heidegger spends far too little time acquianting the reader with Schelling's earlier thought, and it refuses to see the latter period of Schelling's career as anything more than a "silent period." As a result, Schelling's last major published work is open to be interpreted, somewhat misrepresented, and fitted into Heidegger's own philosophical assumptions rather than the development of its author's philosophical insight.
Heidegger at his best
Martin Heidegger in this decisive work takes a little known author and "confronts" his work with his own understanding of Being as finite. The result is an amazing understanding of the finite human condition as freedon. This is authentic thought that does not wallow in morbidity nor escape to mere rationality or the romanticism of idealism. Heidegger fresh from working out his "Contributions to Philosophy:From Enowing" is fully engaged and moving on. Heidegger, gives adequate cautions through out the work so that our initial enthusiasm is not lost but becomes transformed into a silent "yes" that can refresh us for some time to come. Stambaugh, thoroughly versed in translating for her readers and those that want to read Heidegger, also provides an extensive appendix that is a "gold mine" for rereading all of Heideggers works. This appendix is almost like "notes from the underground". Though Heidegger might not approve of such terms he would nevertheless understand. Make no mistake, Heidegger has not forgotten his own history (son of a sexton) nor the history of Western thought. This history is fully put to the task of working out his own thought, that of Schelling and the resulting transformations in both understand the translator and the reader. If you try to "figure" this work out you will miss the poetry. If you "simply love" this work you may too easily move on to the "next thing" that is exciting. Are you ready? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1775-1854    2. 1775-1854.    3. Free Will & Determinism    4. Good and evil    5. Liberty    6. Philosophische Untersuchungen    7. Philosophische Untersuchungen èuber das Wesen der menschlichen Freiheit    8. Philosophy    9. Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm J    10. Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von,    11. Philosophy of mind   

Reviews (35)

Did not Prove His Theories
I found Mr. Dennett's book to be very interesting and well worth reading, but I think that he failed to prove the major premise upon which the book was based, that is, that despite the fact that we are physical beings who must follow the clock-like laws of physics, our actions are not totally predetermined.I believe that Mr. Dennett is correct in his belief that we have a choice.But I do not see that he proved his point.

Compatiblism by Evolutionary Constructs
One never knows with Dennett. His "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" is truly an exceptional work, but his "Consciousness Explained" and "Elbow Room" leave a lot to be desired. This is among the latter.
Badly written evolutionary history of human morality
This book tells a story.A story of how human freedom could arise in a deterministic and Darwinian world. Don't be misled by the use of the term 'freedom': the story is not about how we escaped from determinism and acquired the ability of free choice. Human freedom, in Dennett's view, is the ability to deliberate about what is morally right and to act according to that insight. Note also that the story is a how-possibly story, not a description of what happened. It is meant to show that moral responsibility is not at odds with determinism and darwinism, not to describe how it actually arose. It is a long story, that starts with the evolution of things that can avoid being harmed and ends with a quick glance into the future. I like the story, but strongly dislike the way in which it is told.
Read more

Subjects:  1. American Philosophy    2. Free Will & Determinism    3. Life Sciences - Evolution    4. Philosophy    5. Physics    6. Philosophy / Free Will & Determinism   

Reviews (2)

not for everyone, maybe
but a mind-opener for those who are ready, an awesomely rewarding book for those who are willing to make the extra effort

Why bother?
If, somewhere, deep within the tortured bowels of this book, there is a central thesis that could be stated in a few short sentences and comprehended by most educated English-speaking peoples,I have yet to find it. Endless restatement,obfuscated in painfully cultivated strings of verbiage, of trivial fact is used to document an hypothesis that if stated clearly could be supported or refuted in about a page-and-a-half and then likely consigned to thegraveyard of such endeavor. The prose is atrue caricature of Derrida's; the logic is a laTour de force. Typical of such works, the authorbegins with a premise and then selectivley seeks textual support.Of course, such an approach can be conveniently utilized to support any premise and if writtenwith sufficient opacity will pass for scholarship and great insight.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Chance    2. Free Will & Determinism    3. History & Theory - General    4. Mind & Body    5. Necessity (Philosophy)    6. Philosophy    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. History of ideas, intellectual history    10. Political Science / History & Theory   

Reviews (4)

Oxford and Kane have done it again!
So far forth, the editors of the Oxford Handbook series have managed to put together products which both the neophyte and the fully-informed scholar will find beneficial.Robert Kane has certainly done his part to keep up the trend.
Robert Kane's *The Oxford Handbook on Free Will*
Do you want to brought up to speed on the state of the art in philosophical discussions of free will?Do you want to give yourself a top-flight graduate course on this exciting philosophical topic?Then read Robert Kane's The Oxford Handbook on Free Will.This book might be the single best book to study if one wants a comprehensive overview of most of the controversies unfolding in debates about free will and moral responsibility.The essays are all outstanding.Each is penned by one of the leading figures in the field, and each combines an effort to teach at a very advanced level with a novel contribution to the literature pitched from the perspective of the author. For example, in the section devoted to compatibilism (the view that free will and moral responsibility are compatible with determinism), Kane includes four essays, one by Bernard Berofsky, another by Ishtiyaque Haji, a third by Paul Russell, and a forth by Daniel Dennett and Christopher Taylor.Each essay is detailed, crisp, completely informed, and clear as a bell.Each also advances the author's own views.Reading through this section, one can learn exactly what is now taking place in the arena of compatibilism.The same can be said about the section devoted to libertarianism (the thesis that some persons act from a sort of free will that requires the falsity of determinism).In this section, Kane includes probably the four finest philosophers currently defending this topic, Tim O'Connor, Randy Clarke, Carl Ginet, and Kane himself.
Kane's Compilation Will Leave You Proud To Lose An Argument
I first encountered Kane's facility with the notoriously-challenging problem of free will in his book *The Significance of Free Will.*At that time, I realized that Kane had an almost suspicious talent for articulating my own objections, and then articulating a response that usually satisfied me more than my own.While such a talent may be a bit threatening for readers who occasionally find themselves desiring to claim their own victories, Kane's affability and enthusiasm always seem to leave the reader with a sense of pride in having participated in his well-authenticated jaunts.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Free Will & Determinism    2. Handbooks & Manuals    3. Philosophy    4. Metaphysics & ontology    5. Philosophy / Free Will & Determinism    6. Philosophy | Free Will & Determinism   

Subjects:  1. Choice (Psychology)    2. Cognitive Psychology    3. Free Will & Determinism    4. General    5. Philosophy    6. Psychology    7. Self-defeating behavior    8. Will    9. Cognition & cognitive psychology    10. Philosophy / General    11. Philosophy of mind    12. Philosophy-Free Will & Determinism    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / Cognitive Psychology   

Reviews (4)

Don't overestimate a simple textbook
It is easy to overestimate a book from Oxford University Press with the brief title "Free Will."One is inclined to think that this will describe all of the in's and out's of the ancient and fascinating problem.Though a little reflection ought to make clear that no book of 450-odd pages could ever do justice to the task, it is still an impression that is hard to shake.
Unless you lack free will, keep looking for an alternative
The selection of essays is standard; the production standards of the book are low. Since the first edition, Oxford University Press has transferred this title to digital printing, which means that the book's typeface is 'dirty' and of fax quality. As this is a mere reprint (of the aforementioned bad technical quality) it also does not contain any new writing on the problem of free will. This books is not good value for money; most of the classic papers can be found in other anthologies, such as the one in the Hackett series, while the more recent ones reflect a biased perspective from 15 years ago.

Has some very good essays
Freedom and determinism is one of the most troubling questions in philosophy, since if determinism is both true and incompatible with moral responsibility, nothing is unethical. The class I took on this topic was one of the most challenging courses in college, and this book has a great range of authors who provided some inventive and challenging views on this. I'm particularly interested in P. Strawson's essay in this book, where he claims that responsibility does not depend on freedom at all, and Nagel's essay on moral luck, where he talks about how people in different times in history have greater moral decisions to make than other people, and how this impinges on our freedom (e.g., someone in Nazi Germany has greater burdens than someone in America in the 1980s). The reading is provoking, and brings to mind Socrates' statement that he was the wisest of men because he alone knew that he knew nothing. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Free Will & Determinism    2. Free will and determinism    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy / Free Will & Determinism    5. Philosophy of mind    6. Philosophy | Free Will & Determinism    7. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000   

Subjects:  1. Determinism (Philosophy)    2. Free Will & Determinism    3. Free will and determinism    4. Philosophy    5. Speculative Philosophy   

Reviews (10)

Very interesting, provocative, little book
Dreyfus is a Heidegger scholar who is also known for his books explaining "why computers can't think."This short (it can be read in an evening), provocative book discusses some of the problems of reliance on the Internet as a source of information and an educational forum, in a way that is interestingly informed by Dreyfus's study of Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty.I highly recommend this book both to students of Continental philosophy (the author's use of Kierkegaard to argue against Habermas's notion of the "public sphere" as the locus of a meaningfully participatory democracy is especially provocative) and to anyone who has ever wondered whether the Internet really is making our lives better.Dreyfus explains why and how it may not be.

Kierkegaard surfs prodigiously...
This is a very little book dealing with a very big subject: does the internet add or detract from meaning in our lives? Such a topic can be covered only in a cursory way within 107 pages, but the major issues are represented in this book, and provide valuable food for thought. From Plato to the net..The early fears.
"On the internet",written by H.L Dreyfus a professor at Berkley is one of the very few books on the market approaching the "net" from a philosophical point of view rather than a technical one.Read more

Subjects:  1. Free Will & Determinism    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Information technology    4. Internet    5. Internet - General    6. Philosophy    7. Social Aspects - General    8. Social aspects    9. Social isolation    10. Impact of computing & IT on society    11. Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects    12. Topics in philosophy    13. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -   

Reviews (27)

More than a precursor to Nietzsche...
First, a word about the form of this two-volume work. Volume One contains the core of Schopenhauer's philosophy and is his one absolutely essential book. Volume Two, which is longer, consists of elaborations upon the themes of Volume One. So, if you're strapped for cash and desperately need to own some Schopenhauer, it's fine to buy only Volume One. You won't be missing anything essential.
The Knight calmly facing Death and Devil!
Written when he was 30 Schopenhauer single-mindedly preserved the book and abstained form changing it in the subsequent decades and publications (however he wrote a supplemental volume II years later to expound on the main themes of the volume I). This English translation beautifully conveys the clarity, simplicity and magnificence of Schopenhauer's perfect German prose. As a person who reads philosophy for pleasure and insight, I must say I enjoyed it immensely and gained insight into fundamental questions of existence. Influenced by Eastern (Indian) philosophies, Schopenhauer courageously expounds his profoundly Pessimistic ideas without ever entering into dogmatism, characteristic of many philosophers, and "mystification" which he accused Hegel and other contemporary "Philosophy Professors". A familiarity with Kantian philosophy and Schopenhauer's other works (especially: On the Fourfold Root of Principle of Sufficient Reason" and "On the Will in Nature") is needed in order to clearly grasp the fundamental ideas of this book.

Philosophy for independent thinkers
Schopenhauer's magnum opus towers high above the silly word games of the analysts. This book is philosophy at its very best- a book that no educated person should miss for Schopenhauer wrote primarily for the layman. Like Nietzsche, he was highly skeptical of the "professionals" of his time. One thing that immediately strikes the reader is Schopenhauer's clear and crisp command of the written word unlike the severe case of abstractionitis that both Hegel and Heidegger seem to suffer from.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Free Will & Determinism    2. Idea (Philosophy)    3. Knowledge, Theory of    4. Philosophy    5. Will   

Reviews (6)

Gnostic fatalism disguised as God's Sovereignty
Jonathan Edwards was a brilliant exponent of the Puritan tradition that God himself was the highest good and that enjoying Him in Himself was the true joy of the Christian both in this life and in Heaven.
The master work of America's greatest theologian.
Jonathan Edwards is one of the greatest thinkers in American history, and while "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God" has become his most famous work, "The Freedom of the Will" is his best.Two and a half centuries after Edwards wrote it, this book is still the premiere and most thorough argument for the complete sovereignty of God.