Customer Reviews

The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog

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1 star:		(10)

 

 

In "The Universe Next Door", James Sire articulates and discusses all of the major worldviews held by persons today. Since worldviews are important to every individual, this book is relevant and useful for almost everybody. Each worldview is explained quickly and concisely, which means that this book is by no means a comprehensive look at the issue. However, this is a strength rather than a weakness- the short chapters are easy to grasp and Sire relays complicated ideas in an easy-to-understand manner.

Sire definitely approaches the issue from a Christian perspective. Some may see this as a major flaw, but I think it is appropriate for Sire to openly announce his biases rather than try to hide them. In any case, I feel Sire is correct in that theism is the only consistent and complete worldview. His discussion of Christian theism is absolutely great. Sire does point out that there are many "inner" issues or problems within Christianity- but still contends that Christianity provides the outer framework of a consistent worldview.

"The Universe Next Door" is a recommended read for everyone.

I first read Mr. Sire's book when I was earnestly striving to be an evangelical protestant. As I eventually became a universalist mystic, one might safely assume that Sire's Christian theistic arguments failed to convince me. Nevertheless, I found the book a useful introduction then, and still refer to it now, although for quite different purposes than the author likely intended. This is an excellent introduction to different philosophical points of view, and although the categories are rather broad, the footnotes are extensive and give great amplification to the text. As one might expect, Mr. Sire's pro-Christian bias is unapologetically present throughout [as he himself admits in the introduction], yet he is nevertheless fair in presenting the basic arguments for each worldview in it's own terms and often in the words of those who champion each school of thought. In closing, I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking an accessible introduction to the major modern worldviews, whether they be Christian or not. Hopefully others will find this book as great a help in forging their personal philosophies as I have found it in creating mine.

I chuckled as I read reviews critical of this ambitious little book. What did its critics expect? A book critical of theism from InterVarsity Press would be shocking.

I first read this book when it was published about twenty years ago. It is not as detailed as Norm Geisler's Introduction to Apologetics but it serves a different purpose and is aimed at a different audience. The value of the book is obvious from the number of reprints it has enjoyed over the years. The author writes with understanding and appreciation for other worldviews. I expect this from a professor of English who wrote a book entitled "How to Read Slowly." One of Sire's favorite authors is Saul Bellow; Sire would purchase Bellow's books sight unseen. His literary tastes should tell discerning readers a great deal about the author. As a professor of English, Sire writes clearly and lucidly about a subject that others fumble and stumble through.

The only other author who has attempted such an ambitious book about understanding worldviews is Mortimer Adler, the deceased editor of Encyclopedia Britanica. Adler's and Sire's works on worldviews compare favorably. If anything, this single book by Sire has a greater scope than any of Adler's books except for The Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought. And Sire is just about at the same level for concise, pointed critiques of various worldviews.

A critical assessment of postmodernism (Foucault, Derrida, etc.) is a welcome chapter in the book. I don't believe that Foucault's dependence on Heidegger is acknowledged. Barthes and Lucan are not discussed. I find Tasic's Mathematics and the Roots of Postmodern Thought to be among the most interesting and sympathetic surveys of the complex postmodern phenomenon. It might serve as an excellent supplementary text although it might prove to be challenging reading.

This well-written book is highly recommended for readers looking for a single book that fairly and concisely assesses worldviews.

We all think. But how and why do we think the ways we do? The way we look at ourselves as beings, and how we come to acquire information about the world around us may be something few people ever think about. However upon examination of the worldview we possess, and those possessed by others, we come to a new and more objective appreciation of what it is to truly be human and aware. Sire examines the worldviews of Theism, Deism, Naturalism (and it's necessary extention - Nihilism), Existentialism, Eastern Monism, and PostModernism as well as others. Again, the analysis reveals something simply profound (dare I say life-changing) to those who seek a truly objective and realistic worldview. As a Christian, I was strengthened greatly. Not merely nominally in the conclusion Sire draws, but rather, in the new understanding of the ways and reasons others' think the way they do. Taken together with works such as Hugh Ross' "Creator and the Cosmos" or "The Fingerprint of God" which show modern cosmology to be truly in harmony with the Bible, this work by Sire presents compelling evidence for the Christian Theistic worldview and faith. One outstanding point in the work is Sire's logical analysis of Naturalism's "random chance" which is used to explain a great many things. As a tool for describing our lack of information about a system, it is proper to assign probabilities and a chance 'figure' to it. However, in the naturalistic worldview where there is no belief in a 'spirit' or that the universe may be re-ordered by God or man in that respect, determinism reigns, and there is no such thing as 'random' chance at all - only man's ignorance of deterministic cause. Profound.

As a student of both psychology and philosophy I found this book to be a missing link in literature. The truth is I read this book many years ago and bought it again to read after I gave my original copy to my son in college. If you are a Christian and interested in understanding how the message of the Bible stacks up with other world views you cannot pass up this book. You may find the book tough reading in places, however the author has kept the content as simple as possible while still exploring differences in major world philosophical perspectives.

If you are a Christian who wants to understand how your faith stacks up against alternative human views of creation, human nature, the existence of God, life after life, revelation and other issues you must read this book. One note...before you begin reading be determined to finish it. It is very important to read the entire book, no matter the effort, to get the most value from the message. A TRUE MASTERPIECE!!

I highly recommend this book to any Christian who is looking for a high-level comparison between the major worldviews. The author admit that it is a treatment of the topic from a Christian point-of-view, but then, any treatment of the topic will be from *some* worldview, so I can't fault him for being honest, at least. There were some points at which I felt like issues were flown over rather quickly, but since it's just meant to be an introduction (and there are plenty of references in the back for further study), I think Sire achieves his purpose.

As much as I admire the task James Sire has undertaken in "The Universe Next Door," I cannot endorse his book. Having given my life to Christ as an adult, I have some perspective on some of the worldviews Sire discusses (having once subscribed to some of them).

Sire does not approach any of these worldviews on their own terms. He is constantly sketching out incomplete pictures of what he discusses, sometimes reverting to straw men and logical fallacies to try and push his weakest points. Particularly grievous is his ad hoc dismissal of Eastern thought on the grounds that it does not fit into a rationalistic western paradigm.

More disturbing still is the mocking, often superior tone he takes in his arguments. This is especially tragic because these forms of non-arguments are most often used to delegitimize Christians trying engage in an intellectual exchange.

No subject is addressed in its entirety. The chapter on New Age thinking focuses so exclusively on a couple of personalities that it ignores whole systems of New Age thought. The consequences of modern Naturalism are not really addressed (Far too many apologists write against Darwin's thought rather than what is currently taught--Sire is a card-carrying member of this club.) Zen Buddhism is treated almost as an afterthought.

A lot of these problems probably come from Sire's over-reliance on secondary source material. Though from time to time he throws in a quote from Hesse's Siddhartha (which is also secondary if you ask me), most of the time he is quoting from like-minded colleagues.

While I share Sire's final estimation--that Jesus Christ is Lord and the rest of these things are just fantasy lands, I was severely disappointed with this book. It does not really engage any of the other systems in a fair debate. Sire is playing with a stacked deck.

I do not recommend "The Universe Next Door" to any serious student of worldview thinking.

I have been a fan of this book for nearly 10 years now . . . it is one of the most OUTSTANDING books on various worldviews from a Christian perspective. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I found Sire's BIAS refreshing--not only because I agreed with it, but Sire CONFESSES his bias early in the introduction of the text. It is refreshing to see an author who is intellectually honest with his audience who can recognize and admit to his own bias--so few with dogmatic opinions recognize the source or nature of their own bias/prejudice. This is not intended as a book discussing major world religions or cults, but is a study of large universally encompassing world views as expressed in several categories that Sire expounds upon so that the reader can make informed, rational comparisons. Sire carefully deconstructs the ideology of each world view from a scriptural viewpoint that allows the readers to see the philosophical errors of false doctrine of the various world views in light of Christian theology. Anyone who appreciates intellectual honesty will find this book both informative and refreshing.

As part of my Worldviews class at Regent University, I had to read this book. I had great expectations about this text, but found myself sorely disappointed. NotATameLion said it well. Sire's complete and obvious biased against all worldviews but the Christian results in him making multiple snide and arrogant comments about anyone who isn't Christian and non-Christian worldviews. It would be far better if he could have kept his biased to a minimum and examined all the other worldviews fairly and equally. His regular sniping at other worldviews weakens his position that Christianity is best and made me wonder why he had to resort to nasty remarks if his position was true. It also gives the text an immature feel that further weakens his conclusions.

Reading beyond the author's bad attitudes and comments, the discussions on the different "worldviews" is often confusing and had to follow. Several worldviews are not really worldviews at all, but a combination of a ton of different worldviews lumped together. Sire's seeming lack of respect for other opinions probably accounts for his lumping various worldviews together so that none are accurately portrayed.

I really can't recommend this text to anyone and in my evaluation for this course, I shared my disappointment with this text.

Yes, this author practically states up front which worldview he subscribes to, but for one who merely wishes to learn about other worldviews and not necessarily dabble in them, this is a great book. It has analytical discussions of all the major worldviews and why people subscribe to them or not. This book makes a good "textbook" for framing the discussion of worldviews from a western (esp. Christian) perspective. I ended up citing this book when I wanted to express my own worldview because the book is so well-written and has some great content.
I highly recomment this book if you want to learn about worldviews.