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Whats It All About? A Guide to Lifes Basic Questions and Answers

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There are certain basic questions which thinking human beings have asked for thousands of years. The questions remain the same today as they were eons ago. On the other hand, the answers to those questions have varied with the ages and the characters wrestling with them. It is easy in today's world to ignore these fundamental questions, surrounded as we are with a pop-culture mentality and the loud and distracting media which generally offer little more than mindless entertainment for the masses. It is also easy in today's world, if one wants to confront these basic questions either out of desire or necessity, to find any number of quick and instant solutions from simplistic self-help manuals, to media talking-heads offering up the latest fads in philosophy and religion, to the pseudo-intellectual gurus who will gladly take your money in return for their latest "fix" which promises you the "true" and only true answer to those certain basic questions.

Well, I'll tell you right now that this book by Dr. Richard de la Chaumière doesn't fall into any of the above categories. It is not a quick fix. It is not simplistic. It does not promise you the true and only true answer to the certain basic questions. It does, however, promise to help you make up your own mind about the answers. To do this, the author provides a sweeping interdisciplinary view of how others have wrestled with these questions, expanding your knowledge so you are better informed and competent to deal with these questions, in the hope that you can formulate your own philosophy of life for the simple reason that doing so will enable you to have a life that is truly worth living. This book is a guide to achieving practical wisdom, not the final pronouncement of practical wisdom itself. You will be provided with the recipe for thinking about the basic questions, but you'll have to mix the ingredients and do the baking yourself.

You may be asking now: "What are these so-called basic questions?" They should be familiar to you as we all ask them in one way or another at sometime in our lives, some of us openly and in lively discussion, others secretly within themselves, some in times of casual philosophical reflection, some in times of despair or crisis. Here is the first one that Dr. de la Chaumière puts forth for consideration: Is there a God? Certainly this is the most significant and probably most common of the basic questions. This is followed by some other basic questions such as: Why is there anything at all?; Who am I?; Why am I here?: Is there life after death?; Why so much suffering in the world?; How ought I to live?; Am I really free to choose?; and also that most contemporary and controversial of questions: How do we know when we know?

After a brief introduction to these and other basic questions, the author raises another question about the basic questions: Why and why not ask these questions? This leads into an interesting discussion of human consciousness, the important role it plays in raising the basic questions in the first place, the religious factor and the decline of religion, and the impact of science, rationalism, and Biblical criticism on religion's attempt to answer the basic questions, along with the important role that such luminaries as Copernicus, Charles Darwin, and Sigmund Freud have played in the whole enterprise. Most readers will probably find the author's discussion of "Why should truth be so important?" to be enlightening.

The third part of the book deals with that most important question: How do we know when we know? Here the reader is presented with an overview of our Greek heritage in philosophy and science, the scientific revolution that took place during the 16th and 17th centuries, the range and limits of empiricism and, finally, a discussion of some ways of knowing, including authority, revelation, introspection, intuition, and even altered states of consciousness. I must say that his presentations of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are among the best I've seen in a book written for general readers. And those unfamiliar with the philosophical problems raised by such thinkers as Descartes, Francis Bacon, Locke, Hume, and Kant will come away with a fair grasp of their essential ideas.

The author continues, in the fourth part of his book, with a discussion of various types of "truth seekers," dividing them into contrasting categories such as optimists and pessimists, visionaries and realists, and religious seekers and spiritual seekers. This sets the stage for a comprehensive presentation of various world views, including a scientific world view with recent developments in cosmology, physics, and biology, a naturalistic and evolutionary world view incorporating a type of spirituality, and five major religious world views: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All of this is offered in a very readable fashion so the general reader will not be overwhelmed.

The author begins the Preface of his book with these words: "If you would like to make up your own mind and heart about some of the basic questions of life, this book is intended for you." From that point on, the reader journeys through an intensive and comprehensive survey providing a background and framework for dealing with the basic questions of life. Dr. de la Chaumière has provided a valuable service to those who ask these basic questions and I recommend his book to everyone.

The author is a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in psychology and a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he pursued his interest in philosophy and religion. It is evident from his writing, however, that his knowledge ranges far beyond those interests and that he possesses a talent for communicating about otherwise difficult topics with anyone who takes the time to have a serious encounter with him.

"We are tiny creatures living in a vast cosmos," writes the author. "With a reflective consciousness unparalleled among other species on our planet, we ask foundational questions about our existence and the universe." His engaging, informational style creates a backdrop for honest confrontation of reality and purpose. Anyone with expertise in one area is unlikely to excel elsewhere, but this author manages to pull off an unapologetic and considerably well-balanced understanding of many fields. Reading this fascinating book is like having a college education brought up to the twenty-first century. In the attempt to most accurately understand reality and create lives of greater truth, good, and beauty, any help is desirable. This work, highly suitable for educated and non-educated truth-seekers, is one such generous and balanced effort.

In What's It All About? A Guide To Life's Basic Questions And Answers, psychologist and clinical consultant Richard de la Chaumiere offers his readers a straightforward survey of philosophical, scientific, and spiritual viewpoints on the most basic questions of life itself: Is there a God?; What is the ultimate reality?; Does the Universe have a purpose?; How do I know what's true?; and more. Rather than espouse any one specific dogma, What's It All About? tries as comprehensively as possible to present all that is reasonably known, as well as (often conflicting) points of view concerning matters that cannot, by definition, be conclusively proven in the manner that a scientific hypothesis can. What's It All About? is very highly recommended for non-specialist general readers with an keen interest in what philosophy, science, psychology, and religion have to offer them in terms of answering some of life's most persistent and important questions.

Richard de la Chaumière's investigation into life's basic questions and answers is an insightful interdisciplinary masterpiece. The sheer immensity of information presented is in itself remarkable but the fact that it successfully engages different domains of expertise is exceptional. To achieve his goal of assisting truth seekers, de la Chaumière realized that a full picture required inquiries into philosophy, science, religion and psychology. A licensed psychologist himself, his studies include philosophy, science, and religion. In addition to his own expertise, he surrounded himself with experts from the various fields so as to receive counsel of specialized scholars. The successful outcome of these collaborations is evident in the quality of the information presented.

The book focuses on worldviews, the big questions of life, and how the reader can discover true and meaningful answers that relate to their personal philosophy of life. As Richard de la Chaumière combines eloquent prose with lucid summaries, his book is not only enriching in ways no other book of this kind is, but also immensely pleasurable--a rare achievement. A thoroughly interdisciplinary guide for persons seeking surer foundations for their personal lives. This is a truly inspiring book, which pictures humanity's quest for truth and wisdom as a heroic enterprise.

This author has provided a superlative and surprising summary of a wide variety of disciplines. His psychological counselling style must be non-directive because he never dictates "what it's all about" for an individual reader. He has biases that are both pro-science and pro-spirituality, but he mainly provides information - and what a ride!

Two (only slightly) comparable books come to mind - Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Everything" and Bertrand Russell's "History of Western Philosophy" - because Bryson's summarizes the history of science and Russell's summarizes the history of philosophy. Chaumiere does both - much less comprehensively but with a polymath sort of flair. It's not too common to find mini-bio's of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; a summary of biblical textual criticism, and an accurate accounting of the physics surrounding the Big Bang Theory - all in the same book.

I can't say enough good about this book. If you had some science in the past, you will be brought up to date on very complex and sophisticated material. If you studied philosophy in college you will reunite with some old friends. If you studied history you will enjoy revisiting the Enlightenment. If you enjoy the history of religion you will have a feast. If you don't like a chapter I think you can find one you do like. Extremely educational and entertaining, I would rate this book over five if I could.

DB

It's fascinating to look again at the great minds, the paths they walked, and the challenges they faced as each searched in their own way for truth. For those of us who are philosophically minded, it is inspiring to be reminded that revelation of truth is not always an easy path.
Truly a celebration of the our inherant desire to expand our understanding of life and grow the human spirit, What's It All About will likely raise more questions than provide answers, but that is, after all, the thrill of the quest, yes?

I had high hopes for this volume -- based on the Amazon reviews. I read the first 30 pages, and then did some browsing. I'm sorry to report that this is the dullest sort of survey course.

Over the past 40 years, I've purchased, read, and continue to read, a good bit of philosophy writing, for an amateur. And this is the first book I've ever returned to Amazon. Not even an amateur would consider this philosophy writing.

Im about half way through the book and I haven't yet found any answers to the questions posed in the title. The author goes into great detail defining terms and providing background information, but no answers yet.