Product Description

If God does not exist, then what does? Is there good and evil, and should we care? How do we know what’s true anyway? And can we make any sense of this universe, or our own lives? Sense and Goodness answers all these questions in lavish detail, without complex jargon. A complete worldview is presented and defended, covering every subject from knowledge to art, from metaphysics to morality, from theology to politics. Topics include free will, the nature of the universe, the meaning of life, and much more, arguing from scientific evidence that there is only a physical, natural world without gods or spirits, but that we can still live a life of love, meaning, and joy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111616 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 444 pages

About the Author
Richard Carrier is a philosopher and historian studying ancient science at Columbia University in New York, where he received a Masters degree and a Master of Philosophy in ancient history and is working on his Ph.D. He previously graduated Phi Beta Kappa at UC Berkeley. Mr. Carrier is also a professional writer, teacher, and speaker and translates four languages. His articles have been published in Biology & Philosophy, The History Teacher, German Studies Review, The Skeptical Inquirer, and the Encylopedia of the Ancient World. He is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard and served as Editor in Chief of the Secular Web for several years, where he has long been one of their most frequently read authors. His popular online essays can be found at http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier.

Customer Reviews

Visit to a Well-Furnished Mind
Richard Carrier is a graduate student of history (M.Phil Columbia) and a prolific essayist, publishing primarily on the well-known secular website infidels.org. In this book he surveys all that he has come to know and believe, and how he came to know or believe it. Reading it is like being given a guided tour, by a genial and charming host, through a large and well-furnished mansion of the mind.

I purchased "Sense & Goodness Without God" because of an interest in secular ethics. I was disappointed on that account to find that Carrier's discussion of morality -- although it is interesting and enlightening -- occupies only a small part of the book. The many other topics covered justified my purchase, but in order to keep others from being mislead by the title, here is a key quote from the introduction:

"This book surveys my philosophy of life, my 'worldview' ... I build and defend a complete worldview by covering every fundamental subject -- from knowledge to art, from metaphysics to morality, from theology to politics."

That Carrier even owns a complete, personal worldview makes him a rare bird. He rightly faults most of us for spending next to no time thinking through what we know and believe; and for being too willing to settle for the "factory-made" philosophies dispensed under the name of Religion, instead of taking the time to understand the big ideas for ourselves. In effect, this book is his challenge to his contemporaries: agree with me or not, he seems to say, these are topics you need to think through on your own -- and here is how to do it.

You might wonder if any writer can do justice to such a smorgasbord of ideas. Carrier does very well; he is exceptionally well-read, has thought hard on these issues, and clearly explains both the context and his own position on each point. Just the same, this is a survey, and there is much, much more to be said and thought about any of the topics he covers.

Also, Carrier does what so many other secular writers do: spends many, many paragraphs refuting religious ideas and rebutting the Christian philosophers who would deny legitimacy to his positions. The section on Morality, for example, is almost entirely cast as a point-by-point refutation of positions taken by Christian apologist J.P. Moreland. These one-sided debates eat up pages that I would far rather have seen devoted to more detailed exposition of Carrier's own thoughts. Those thoughts are generally sane, well-grounded, generous and reasonable, sometimes surprising, and always worth spending time with.

Finally, a coherent system of thought
Like many people, I grew up in a nominally religious household and never really questioned my beliefs until a few years ago. After starting a family, I made the decision to figure out once and for all what I really believed. After many hours of study and thought, I finally ran into Richard Carrier's book. It basically answered all of my nagging questions about the ultimate questions. If you're one of those people that has grown tired of enduring the cognitive dissonance required by traditional faith, I highly recommend this book. It articulates ideas that you may not have the vocabulary or background to express. It also has great references for further reading. Overall, when it comes to understanding what life is about, it has given me some much needed peace.

More Excellent Analysis from Richard Carrier!
I have to confess right off the bat that I am a huge fan of Columbia historian Richard Carrier. His essays posted on the Secular Web are some of the best written on a wide range of historical subjects and philosophical topics. His new book, Sense and Goodness Without God is a brilliant addition to an already impressive body of work. Here he takes on the nature of the universe itself and our place in it, and explores the questions all of us have about making sense of morality, existence, and the meaning of life. The range of subjects he covers here is truly astounding, and he delves into them deeply without ever losing his audience with jargon or philosobabble. On top of this, his investigation is informed by a powerful commitment to intellectual honesty, and infused with a rare sense of true love for life.

A remarkable, readable book that I recommend whole-heartedly to anyone interested in the question of finding meaning and joy in life.